Ultimately, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez will travel to Algiers without conditions or other prerequisites, according to diplomatic sources in Paris. This information was also confirmed by the minister’s entourage.
Laurent Nuñez is expected next Monday in Algiers for a two-day visit. He spoke by phone this Friday afternoon with his Algerian counterpart, Saïd Sayoud, to prepare for this visit.
A few days ago, Laurent Nuñez had confirmed receiving an invitation from his Algerian counterpart and that he would “respond” to it. “We are working on the conditions of this visit,” he had explained to French media, expressing satisfaction “that security exchanges have resumed between the two countries.”
Mr. Nuñez indicated that he would come to Algeria to “discuss security issues, particularly the issue of readmissions, the fight against terrorism, against drug trafficking…,” while also displaying optimism about resuming the enforcement of deportation orders targeting Algerian nationals.
However, earlier this month, Laurent Nuñez had stated on TF1 that he would not give up his “conditions,” referring to the resumption of expulsions of Algerians in irregular situations on French territory and the case of journalist Christophe Gleizes, who is detained in Algeria and convicted of terrorism. He was responding to criticism from Ségolène Royal, president of the France-Algeria Association, who had just returned from Algiers.
The latter had advocated for resuming dialogue, deeming it essential due to several factors. The former minister even proposed a three-phase plan capable of pulling these bilateral relations out of the crisis and restoring more peaceful ties, particularly emphasizing the memory file and the reactivation of cultural, economic, and commercial exchanges.
It should be noted that this visit, announced since December 2025, comes at a crucial moment in diplomatic relations between Algeria and France, exacerbated by the controversy sparked by the broadcast on public channel France 2 of a controversial and biased report against the Algerian state.
Almost at the same time, the French business leaders’ organization, Medef, announced an initiative, mentioning a warming of these relations and an upcoming trip to Algeria for an economic mission. It will hold a meeting of its France-Algeria Business Council on February 17. The business leaders emphasize, in a statement, that “the recent bilateral visits by high-ranking officials from both states testify to a gradual warming of Franco-Algerian relations, capable of fostering a positive climate for economic dialogue and the relaunch of concrete projects, to the benefit of the business communities of both countries.”
According to Medef, Algeria remains a major economic partner for France in North Africa, offering significant prospects in sectors such as energy, infrastructure, agribusiness, health, and digital transition. According to French business leaders, Algeria is the third economy on the continent with a GDP of 260 billion euros, 3.7% growth, and a market of 47 million people, representing an essential outlet for French companies.
In this regard, Michel Bisac, president of the Franco-Algerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has multiplied calls to the authorities of his country to initiate a thaw and relaunch economic exchanges between the two nations.
A sign of this new dynamic, the French agricultural office FranceAgriMer announced that Algeria has resumed imports of French wheat. For the first time in almost two years, France has exported a shipment of 5,000 tons of wheat and 13,000 tons of barley to Algeria. A modest sign, but one that seems to offer good prospects for bilateral relations.