French FM visits Algiers in bid to reset bilateral relations

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called for a “new phase” in relations with Algeria following a meeting with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Algiers Sunday, AFP reports. The weekend visit aimed to repair a diplomatic rift triggered by France’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and the jailing of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal. Barrot urged a “gesture of humanity” in Sansal’s case and announced renewed cooperation on security, migration, and Sahel policy between the two countries.