French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Algeria on Thursday for a three-day visit aimed at mending ties with the former French colony, which this year marks the 60th anniversary of its independence, reports FRANCE 24.
The first French president to be born after Algerian independence, Macron is hoping "to lay a foundation to rebuild and develop" a sometimes difficult relationship with the North African nation, his office said.
Accompanied by seven ministers, Macron arrived at the Houari Boumediene Airport in the capital Algiers, where he was received by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
The two heads of state are set to visit a monument to martyrs of the country's war for independence, which ended more than 130 years of French colonial rule with Algeria's independence in 1962.
Franco-Algerian relations have seen repeated crises since then.
The French leader, on his second visit to Algeria since he took power in 2017, "has chosen to direct this visit towards the future, [focusing on] start-ups, innovation, youth, new sectors," the Élysée said on Tuesday.
Macron, alongside a 90-strong delegation, will meet entrepreneurs in Algiers as well as young people in the second city Oran.
Ties between Paris and Algiers have been particularly stormy since last year, when Macron questioned Algeria's existence as a nation before the French occupation and accused the government of fomenting "hatred towards France".
Tebboune withdrew his country's ambassador in response and banned French military aircraft from its airspace.
But Macron's office issued a statement saying he "regretted" the misunderstandings caused by his comments, and his aides believe that both sides have moved on.
They note the resumption of normal diplomatic relations and overflights to French army bases further south in Africa.
Analyst Mansour Kedidir said that "given instability in the Maghreb region, conflicts in the Sahel and the war in Ukraine, improving ties between France and Algeria is a political necessity".