The African G20 summit, which Paris had hoped would revive flagging dialogue, concluded without any significant progress between France and Algeria, confirming a structural deadlock in their bilateral relationship.
French diplomatic sources interpreted the absence of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who was replaced at the last minute by Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb, as a sign of Algiers’ limited commitment to bilateral issues. French President Emmanuel Macron described the situation as “unsatisfactory” and publicly demanded “concrete results.”
The Elysee Palace had hoped for a face-to-face meeting between the two presidents during the summit to resume discussions that had been interrupted for several months. That meeting did not take place. Paris reiterated that a direct encounter was crucial to unlocking sensitive issues, particularly security cooperation, the movement of people, and the monitoring of migration cases.
The perceived cancellation was seen as another indication of the difficulty in securing the Algerian president’s direct, sustained participation in high-level bilateral discussions.
On the sidelines of the talks, President Macron reaffirmed his desire to “build a more peaceful relationship” with Algiers, but stressed that “there is still much to correct.” He noted that the Franco-Algerian relationship remains “instrumentalized” in both countries and urged a move beyond posturing to achieve “measurable results.”
In contrast, the Algerian delegation made no concrete announcements regarding bilateral issues, maintaining a cautious approach. This climate follows a period of tension in 2025 marked by the ongoing dispute over Western Sahara and several public pronouncements from Algiers. These factors had previously led to a multi-month freeze on migration cooperation.
While France acknowledges isolated gestures of goodwill—such as the slight improvement in migration cooperation and the pardon granted by Algiers to the writer Boualem Sansal—Paris maintains that these remain insufficient to initiate a lasting dynamic.
According to the Elysee Palace, while President Macron’s approach—described as “demanding yet respectful”—has resulted in some limited progress, the G20 summit clearly illustrates that the effective resumption of dialogue now depends entirely on Algiers’ ability and willingness to engage more substantially. No specific timetable for resuming political dialogue was announced.
MK/ak/Sf/fss/abj/APA