President Tebboune : Algeria, France can move forward, once history issues settled

APS : MONDAY 13 JULY 2020

ALGIERS – President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune said Monday that Algeria and France will be able to move forward with “serenity”, once the problems related to history settled, stressing the importance of addressing the “painful events”
of the past in order to restore profitable relations between the two countries.
“Algeria is essential for France, just like France is for Algeria. We need to face these painful events to restore profitable relations for the two countries, especially in the economic field.
Memory cannot be neglected …,” said President Tebboune, in an interview with the French daily l’Opinion, recalling that the recent handing over of the remains of the Popular Resistance leaders against French colonization “constitutes a big step forward.”

Stressing that other crimes and massacres perpetrated by the colonial machine “deserve to be told”, the Head of State said that “many French historians study these historical events with integrity.”
In this regard, he cited French historian Benjamin Stora who was appointed to work on memory matter.

“He is sincere and knows Algeria and its history, from the period of occupation to the present day.
We will appoint his Algerian counterpart within 72 hours. These two personalities will work directly under our respective supervision. We hope that they will accomplish their work in serenity and calm to resolve these problems which poison our political relations, the business climate and good understanding,” said the President of the Republic.

Speaking about the phone conversation he had with French President Macron, the President Tebboune said that his French counterpart “knows very well the events that have marked our common history.”
“There is human, scientific and economic cooperation between the two countries. France has just lost its first place as a supplier country of Algeria, but it’s not irreversible.
With regard to the Libyan question, President Tebboune reaffirmed Algeria’s readiness to host UN-led talks.”
The Libyans “aspire to peace” and we need to work on a “new road map which would lead to peaceful elections within two or three years, under the monitoring of the UN and a consensual government of transition,” he stressed.

Regarding the crisis in Mali, President Tebboune said that Algeria has a “very close” relationship with this country, stressing that “the total destabilization of Mali would have repercussions on our country.”
Recalling that at the conclusion of the Algiers peace agreements, terrorism “was not as widespread”, President Tebboune said that “today, 20,000 and 25,000 active terrorists are operating in Mali, Burkina-Faso and Niger combined.”

“It is necessary to resolve this issue, but above all find political solutions that guarantee the territorial integrity of the country,” he said.

Broaching the Algerian-Moroccan relations, President Tebboune said that “there has always been a verbal and political escalation between our countries. But our peoples are brothers and look alike.”
“We have a long common history and are neighbors. We are doomed to live together. As far as we are concerned, we have no problem with Morocco and we are focused on the development of our country,” he said, adding that “our Moroccan brothers do not seem to be in the same frame of mind.”
The “construction of military bases at our borders is a form of escalation that must stop,” he stressed.

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