Algerian Chief of Staff Saïd Chengriha received in Paris

Algerian General Saïd Chanegriha and French Minister of Defense Sébastien Lecornu, January 24, 2023 in Paris.

AP - Christophe Archambault

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

This is the first visit in seventeen years of an Algerian official of this rank to Paris.

Algiers places this visit within the framework of cooperation between the armies of the two countries.

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These Parisian meetings follow on from those in Algiers which took place last August, during President Macron's trip, which put the bilateral relationship back on track.

It is a further step towards what President Macron describes as “a new era of Algerian-French relations”, or “ 

 ” if we quote President Tebboune. 

Algiers and Paris remain discreet about the nature of the exchanges that took place, at the Élysée in the presence of the French Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, but as during the bilateral meetings last summer, if one is to believe the Algerian media, the security situation in the Sahel and military cooperation were at the heart of the topics.

Algeria finds itself, since the war in Ukraine, in a delicate position.

It tries to achieve a very difficult balance in its historical and strategic relations with Moscow and its relations with European countries as well as the United States.

European countries that need Algerian gas are in competition.

Algiers favored Rome over Paris and signed gas contracts with Italy. 

Will Algeria offer Paris its services in the Sahel in exchange, while France's influence is weakened in several countries in the region?

The question is asked.

■ What equation is Algeria applying to its European allies? 

Interview with Pierre Vermeren, professor at Paris-I in the history of the contemporary Maghreb

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• Algeria

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