French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, on a two-day visit to Algeria with 15 ministers, and her Algerian counterpart, Aïmene Benabderrahmane, pledged in Algiers on Sunday to intensify the Franco-Algerian partnership recently relaunched by the two capitals.
This visit “anchors a new dynamic and a sustainable cycle that will benefit our two peoples and their young people,” said Elisabeth Borne during a joint press conference with her counterpart.
The two heads of government chaired the first meeting of the High Level Intergovernmental Committee (HLIC) since 2017.
The meeting resulted in cooperation agreements in industry, tourism, crafts, agriculture, the creation of start-ups and cultural projects, especially in the cinema.
This CIHN is “an unprecedented opportunity to begin translating the vision of our heads of state into action”, greeted Elisabeth Borne, referring to the relaunch of the bilateral relationship decided at the end of August by Emmanuel Macron and his host Abdelmajid Tebboune.
Visas and the price of gasoline
He mentioned three main pillars “for this renewed alliance”: the economy to “develop trade, innovation and job creation”; mobility and visas; and youth through increased educational and cultural cooperation.
Asked about a reassessment of the price of Algerian gas imported into France, the prime minister stressed that “the contracts that bind us to Algeria are not indexed to spot prices” (calculated continuously on the market). And “discussions at the European level for a possible cap do not concern Algeria. Therefore, we will continue a calm discussion with Algeria,” he added.
Another sensitive issue: the issue of visas, greatly lowered in the fall of 2021 by Paris. “We discussed the means to encourage student, scientific, artistic and economic mobility”, said Elisabeth Borne, while Aïmene Benabderrahmane insisted on the need to “really facilitate the movement of people”.
Source: BFM TV
