"French colonialism was a grave mistake," French President Emmanuel Macron said during a press conference in Abidjan, calling for the opening of a "new page" between France and its former colonies on the continent.

Macron added, during a joint press conference with his Ivorian counterpart, Hassan Ouattara, that "France is often seen today as having a hegemonic outlook and deceptive manifestations of colonialism that were a grave mistake, a mistake committed by the Republic."

As the French president called for "building a new page" in the relationship between his country and its former African colonies, he said: "I belong to a generation who is not a generation of colonialism, the African continent is a young continent, three quarters of your countrymen have never known colonization."

The French President expressed his hope that "the young Africa agrees to build with the new France a friendship partnership, which is much more fruitful."

It is noteworthy that in February 2017, when he was still a candidate for the presidency, Macron told an Algerian channel that "colonialism is part of French history, and that it is a crime against humanity."