ALGIERS - The President of the France-Algeria Association, Segolene Royal, on Sunday praised the new direction in bilateral relations, amidst several developments and historical steps, including the commemoration of the massacres of 8 May 1945.

"I said: stop setting conditions, stop talking about power dynamics, you must speak on an equal footing with the great nation of Algeria," Royal said in a statement broadcast Sunday evening by media outlets.

"I also believe that the Pope’s visit played a key role, alongside the way President Tebboune welcomed the Pope, and the way the Pope spoke of the Algerian people and Algeria’s history, since he evoked the massacres of 8 May 1945 before the Martyrs’ Memorial." She added that "this prompted French authorities to reflect and say to themselves ‘we cannot be the only ones to keep making statements that are unwelcome to Algeria and its leaders.’"

"So I am the first to welcome this positive development. I also believe that we must move forward on a number of issues that Algeria has long been calling for, including the detention of a consular agent who has not yet stood trial," she said.

"I believe the French authorities must reconsider this decision, which was taken during the time of Bruno Retailleau (former interior minister)."

Royal also stressed the need to make progress on the resumption of economic relations in order to "create win-win partnerships that evolve within an economic dynamic of equality between the two countries."