Algerian Ambassador to Return to France in Coming Days, Says Elysee

French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (L) leave at the end of a joint press conference at the presidential palace in Algiers, Algeria, Aug. 25, 2022. (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (L) leave at the end of a joint press conference at the presidential palace in Algiers, Algeria, Aug. 25, 2022. (AFP)
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Algerian Ambassador to Return to France in Coming Days, Says Elysee

French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (L) leave at the end of a joint press conference at the presidential palace in Algiers, Algeria, Aug. 25, 2022. (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (L) leave at the end of a joint press conference at the presidential palace in Algiers, Algeria, Aug. 25, 2022. (AFP)

Algeria's ambassador to France will return to Paris in the coming days, French President Emmanuel Macron's Elysee office said on Friday, in a move signaling a recovery in relations a month after a diplomatic spat.

The Elysee palace said that during a telephone conversation, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had told Macron that the ambassador would return.

In February, Algeria recalled its ambassador to Paris, accusing France of orchestrating the escape of an activist it wants for arrest and triggering a new crisis between the countries after months of warming relations.

Amira Bouraoui, a rights activist detained during the 2019 mass protests in Algeria and freed from prison in 2020, had allegedly crossed into Tunisia illegally after evading Algerian judicial surveillance, according to Algerian and French media.

She was arrested in Tunisia in early February but was later allowed to fly to France, French media have reported.

"The two heads of state have discussed the conditions of the departure from Tunisia and arrival in France... of a Franco-Algerian national ... this discussion has cleared up misunderstandings," the Elysee statement said.

It added that following Macron's visit to Algeria last August, the presidents agreed on the need to boost cooperation between the two countries in every area, with a view to a future state visit to France by Tebboune.



Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.