APS : Monday, 21 December 2020
ALGIERS- The advisor to President of the Republic for National Archives and Memory, Abdelmadjid Chikhi, said Monday that Algeria claims all its archives from France, stressing that the “past must be part of
a balanced relationship” in the best interests of both countries.
“Algeria demands the totality of its archives, a large part of which are in France, which has always given false pretexts such as the declassification of some of the archives which have been gathered for several decades,” Chikhi told National Radio.
Mentioning the bilateral work with his French counterpart, Benjamin Stora, on the archive issue, Chikhi said that he has not yet begun working with Stora.
Benjamin Stora “contacted me by telephone to apologize for not being able to start the work together because of a report requested by President Macron on the steps and priorities of this work for the French part.”
The Director-General of National Archives said “the demands of the Algerian side are clear and do not require consultations.”
“The issue is immutable because the past cannot be erased or forgotten. We are working to make it part of a peaceful and balanced relationship” to build in the best interests of both countries.
