France’s Macron: I hope tensions with Algeria will soon ease

Paris, October 5 (BNA) French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that he hopes diplomatic tensions with Algeria will ease soon.

“I hope we can calm things down because I think it is better to talk to each other and make progress,” Macron told France Inter radio in an interview, adding that his relations were “very friendly” with the Algerian president, Reuters reported. reports.

On Saturday, Algeria recalled its ambassador in Paris, referring to statements attributed to Macron, which were quoted by Le Monde newspaper as saying that Algeria’s rulers rewrote the history of its colonization on the basis of “a hatred of France.”

The next day, Algeria closed its airspace to French military aircraft, according to the French military.

The dispute came on top of tensions last week when France said it would reduce the number of visas available to citizens of North African countries, prompting an official protest from Algeria.