The two heads of state lifted during a telephone conversation the "misunderstandings" related to the quarrel around a Franco-Algerian activist and "agreed to strengthen the channels of communication (...) to avoid a recurrence of this type of regrettable misunderstanding," the French presidency added in a statement.
The Algerian presidency issued a communiqué identical to that of the French.
Despite a travel ban in Algeria, activist Amira Bouraoui entered Tunisia on 3 February, before being arrested as she tried to board a flight to Paris.
She was finally able to fly to France on 6 February despite an attempt by Tunisian authorities to deport her to Algeria.
Algiers had judged that his departure for the France constituted an "illegal exfiltration" carried out with the help of members of the French diplomatic and security staff and recalled its ambassador in Paris, Saïd Moussi, for consultation.
"President Abdelmadjid Tebboune informed the head of state of the return to France of the Algerian ambassador in the coming days," the statement said, confirming statements to this effect by Tebboune this week.
Meanwhile, a new France ambassador to Algeria is about to be appointed, a French government source said.
Bouraoui rose to prominence in 2014 when she opposed a fourth term for then-President Abdelaziz Bouteflika before joining the "Hirak" protest movement.
She was sentenced in June 2020 to one year in prison before being provisionally released in July of the same year.
Restart
After a severe cold snap in autumn 2021, France and Algeria had sealed a warming on the occasion of Emmanuel Macron's trip to Algiers last August, before this new quarrel, an umpteenth twist in very turbulent relations.
According to the statement, the two presidents "took stock of the bilateral relationship and the implementation of the Algiers Declaration signed on the occasion of the visit of the President of the Republic to Algeria last August. They stressed the need to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in all fields, in view of the state visit to France of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
The Algerian head of state is expected in France in May, a particularly important milestone in the attempt to bring these two countries closer together, which share very strong human and historical ties, marked by colonization, the war of independence and Algerian immigration in France.
This desire to restart is part of a context of major diplomatic maneuvers between France, Algeria, and Morocco, Algeria's regional rival, which also maintains close relations with Paris and does not like its desire for rapprochement with Algiers.
The end of the French policy of visa restrictions for the Maghreb, enacted in December, had hinted at a new era in diplomatic relations, but the Bouraoui affair had marked a swerve, as regularly happens.
"The two presidents also addressed regional issues of stability, in particular the fight against terrorism in the Sahel," concludes the French presidency, Algeria being an important player in the Sahel-Saharan strip, whose countries (Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Burkina Faso) are facing very active jihadist groups and where the France deploys a significant military device.
© 2023 AFP