President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune received this Tuesday French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who was on a two-day visit to Algeria that led to a resumption of dialogue between Algiers and Paris after months of tensions.
Boualem Boualem, director of the presidential office; Saïd Sayoud, Minister of the Interior, Local Authorities, and Transport; Ammar Abba, presidential advisor in charge of diplomatic affairs; and General Abdelkader Aït Ouarabi, Director General of Internal Security, attended this meeting, which brought together French officials including the Director General of Internal Security (DGSI).
This encounter represents a new sign of thawing in relations between Algeria and France and could relaunch the political dialogue machine on solid and serene foundations. It is also a positive sign that breaks with the logic of “arm-wrestling” and “overt hostility” that has gripped the French government for nearly two years. Nuñez had clearly stated his approach, preferring dialogue and criticizing the contemptuous and disrespectful policy of his predecessor, Bruno Retailleau.
The presence of General Hassan at this meeting indicates that security issues, particularly the fight against terrorism, were among the discussion points. In fact, this is nothing new, as the French side has not stopped demanding the resumption of contacts in this area since the diplomatic crisis erupted in summer 2024. Nuñez was accompanied by the French DGSI chief (internal security), Celine Berthon.
For Paris, security is a priority due to multiple terrorist threats on its territory and beyond. The exchange of information and intelligence on this front had stopped before resuming despite persistent diplomatic or political tensions.
On the eve of his visit, Nuñez had emphasized that he intended to address “all security issues,” a chapter that encompasses both the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking and clandestine immigration.
It should be noted that this is the first visit by a French Interior Minister since that of Gerard Darmanin in 2022, and the second after the visit by French Foreign Minister Jean Noël Barrot last year, whose results were undermined by the champion of Algériaphobia, former Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, with the affair of the incarceration of an Algerian diplomat.
It must be highlighted that Interior Minister Saïd Sayoud and his French counterpart held exchanges at the Interior Ministry headquarters in Algiers, before these discussions were expanded to members of the two ministries’ delegations later on the day before this Tuesday.
Obviously, beyond security issues and the fight against terrorism, this visit has a political dimension where contentious and delicate dossiers abound. At the top of the list: the imprisonment of the Algerian diplomat despite his immunity, migration policy, consular laissez-passer for those subject to expulsion orders, visa issuance, mobility of Algerian nationals on French territory, and conditions for their families’ stay; the review or renegotiation of the 1968 agreement; and the systematic refusal of extraditions for those convicted by Algerian justice for terrorism and embezzlement of public funds.
Although nothing has leaked about the initial results of this two-day visit and intense discussions, the start of a thaw now seems real, and a dynamic has been set in motion.