France Must Forget Algeria Was Once a French Colony: Tebboune
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Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune says France must forget Algeria was once a French colony after the row between France and Algeria regarding Paris's disrespect of Algier's sovereignty and history.
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Algeria President Abdelmadjid Tebboune
France must forget that Algeria was once a French colony, said Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Sunday.
The president asserted that the Algerian ambassador returning to Paris is conditional on France's respect for the Algerian state.
The president demanded France's "total respect" after the diplomatic crisis that took place between Paris and Algiers over visas and comments from French President Emmanuel Macron disrespecting Algeria and undermining its sovereignty.
"History should not be falsified," President Tebboune stated.
The tensions between France and Algeria stem from statements from Emmanuel Macron, in which he questioned the existence of an Algeria prior to French colonization. France halving the number of visas available for Algerians, a measure that Paris claimed was "to pressure leaders."
The tensions saw Algiers recalling its ambassador from France for consultations and later banning French aircraft from entering its airspace, which delayed French military aviation.
Paris's military planes regularly fly through Algeria's airspace to reach the West African Sahel region to carry out military missions as part of France's Barkhane operation.
