Algeria Q&A Extract from the press briefing (2 January 2025)

Q: Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune criticized France in his speech this past weekend. Do you have any comment? Specifically, do you have anything to say about his claim that the proposed autonomy plan for the Western Sahara is a French idea, not a Moroccan one?

The Algerian president indirectly referenced writer Boualem Sansal, whom he called an imposter sent by France. Do you have any comment ? Do you have any news about his situation ?

A: The Algerian President's statements are his own.

France values its relationship with Algeria, with which we share extensive person-to-person ties and common interests. The Algiers Declaration of August 2022 continues to define that relationship. It is the roadmap we agreed to with the Algerian authorities and which we hope to expand in the various areas where we cooperate bilaterally.

Discussions are vital because we share a number of interests and concerns, particularly with regard to regional security matters in the Sahel and Libya.

We remain very concerned by the detention of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal. Freedom of opinion and speech are fundamental rights that we staunchly defend. State services are actively monitoring our compatriot's situation and providing him with the consular protection to which he is entitled by virtue of his French citizenship.