ALGIERS - Segolene Royal, President of the France-Algeria Association, on Tuesday in Algiers called for a new chapter in the French-Algerian cooperation, founded on historical truth, the restitution of archives, and stressed mutual respect "as equals."
"I came (to Algeria) to listen and learn in two domains: economic creativity and culture. The Association for French-Algerian Friendship that I lead has worked for more than 60 years on developing dialogue, friendship, exchanges, mutual understanding and seeking shared perspectives," she stated to the press after being received by President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
She viewed the "French-Algerian history as a wounded history, characterized by domination and disgraceful violence, but also by struggles, resistance, intermingled fates, families forged between the two shores, shared economic and cultural ventures, partnerships and potential that are too often hidden or unrecognized and that we must bring to light."
"Political posturing, provocations and divisive speeches must be rejected, those coming from people who don't want Algeria to advance and who still won't acknowledge Algeria's national sovereignty, its diplomatic role globally, its non-alignment decision, its total freedom to choose its alliances and causes," she affirmed, adding "I profoundly respect that and I hope French authorities will ultimately also respect Algeria's national sovereignty."
For Royal, "the repaired friendship between our countries and peoples must become reality, I wish for this with all my heart to construct bridges of knowledge and respect through dialogue," she stressed.
In her view, "the first step France must take, which should have been taken long ago, is returning cultural artifacts and archives, and I will dedicate all my efforts to this. Starting with Emir Abdelkader's possessions and those of other Algerian figures."
It also means "repatriating the skeletal remains of all the Shuhada (martyrs) held at the Musee de l'Homme so they can be honorably laid to rest as President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune has called for."
"Then all the archives kept in Aix-en-Provence, which have been partly digitized and can therefore be returned very swiftly. The Algiers cannon in Brest. All this was moreover confirmed by the Joint History and Memory Commission in its report of 22 November 2023," she added.
This should also include "the archives and complete dossier on nuclear testing in the Sahara to assess the true scope of the damage and make reparations," she stressed.
Quoting Emir Abdelkader's words: "Man is great through what he knows, and noble through what he does," she called for restoring to the Algerian people "the objects that rightfully belong to them."
"This is what I will convey to President Emmanuel Macron when I return to urge him to take action in this direction, as he himself had pledged at the start of his presidency," she added.
"I wish to end with this profound quote from Algerian Saint Augustine, born in Tagaste, who wrote: "Truth is like a lion, set it free, it will defend itself," urging "to liberate the truth about our pasts and construct a new partnership through shared projects, on equal footing."
She stressed that "reconstructing French-Algerian friendship is a duty we owe primarily to the youth of both shores who simply wish to jointly develop their projects."
