Macron Urges Calm Between Morocco and Algeria Amid Regional Tensions

In a long interview with the Algerian writer Kamel Daoud in the weekly Le Point published on Wednesday, Emmanuel Macron says he does not believe in a war between the two neighboring countries, noting rather "speculation among some, fantasy among others and even the desire for war among some." For the record, Algeria broke off diplomatic relations with Morocco in August 2021, accusing Rabat of "hostile acts." A decision that Rabat considers "completely unjustified".

The French president also addressed his relations with Algeria. "The worst thing would be to conclude: ’We apologize and each goes his own way.’ The work of memory and history is not a final settlement. On the contrary, it is to support that within it there is the unqualifiable, the misunderstood, the perhaps undecidable, the unforgivable," he points out, also inviting his Algerian counterpart to come to France in 2023 in order to continue "an unprecedented work of friendship".

Emmanuel Macron was in Algiers last August to relaunch the bilateral relationship after his remarks in October 2021 in which he criticized the Algerian "politico-military system" for surfing on the "memorial rent" and questioned the existence of an Algerian nation before colonization. "It may have been an awkward phrase and one that could have hurt... So we have to know how to shake hands again," he said.