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Hours after French and Algerian media reported that French President Emmanuel Macron made comments, Algeria refused to “unacceptably interfere” in its affairs.
The statement issued by the President of Algeria stated that Algeria has withdrawn its ambassador after media reports of the French leader’s comments. The comment has not been denied.
The French daily Le Monde reported that Macron made critical remarks on the former French colony during a meeting with the descendants of figures from the War of Independence on Thursday.
According to reports, Macron claimed that the country is governed by a “political and military system” and that Algeria has an “official history” that is “completely rewritten”.
According to Le Monde, he said that this piece of history was “not based on facts” but “based on hate speech against France”-although he made it clear that he did not refer to the entire Algerian society, but to the ruling elite.
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The Algerian President’s statement said: “After several French sources named Macron’s remarks, Algeria categorically rejected unacceptable interference in its internal affairs.”
Macron also talked about current Algerian politics. The French president quoted the French president as saying that his opponent Abdul Majid Teboune was “trapped in a very tough system.”
“You can see that Algeria’s system is tired, it has been weakened by Chirac,” he added, referring to the pro-democracy movement that forced Tebun’s predecessor, Abdulaziz Bouteflika, to take power. It will step down in 2019 ten years later.
This is the second time Algeria has recalled the French ambassador.
After the French media broadcast a documentary about Chirac, Algiers also recalled its ambassador in May 2020.
Saturday’s move was made amid tensions created by France’s decision to drastically reduce the number of visas issued to citizens of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
France said the decision announced on Tuesday was necessary because the former colony failed to take sufficient measures to allow illegal immigrants to return.
The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the French ambassador Francois Gouyette on Wednesday and handed him a note of “formal protest” on the visa ruling.
It called the reduction of visas an “unfortunate act”, leading to “confusion and ambiguity about its motives and scope.”
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita called France’s actions “unreasonable.”
Tunisian President Keith Said expressed disappointment over the decision in a phone call with Macron on Saturday, his office said, adding that the French leader had indicated that the decision could be amended.
French government spokesman Gabriel Attal told a European radio station on Tuesday that the decision to reduce visas was “unprecedented”.
He said that Paris made this choice because Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia “refused to take back citizens we don’t want or cannot stay in France”.
According to the radio station, Macron made this decision a month ago after failing diplomatic efforts with the three North African countries.
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