DR ‹ › French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez wrapped up a 48-hour visit to Algiers on Tuesday with a meeting with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. After their discussion, Nunez announced that the Algerian president had directed his officials to collaborate closely with their French counterparts to enhance cooperation in policing, judicial matters, and readmission. This new cooperation framework «should be implemented as soon as possible», he emphasized. It is worth noting that the French Interior Minister had set «minimal conditions» for a potential visit to Algiers during an interview with TF1 on February 3. He specifically demanded that the Algerian government agree to take back its nationals who are subject to Orders to Leave French Territory (OQTF). The resumption of deportations of Algerians in irregular situations, which had been halted for several months, needed to «restart» before an official visit could be considered, he insisted. The approval by President Tebboune for the readmission of thousands of Algerians in irregular situations in France stands in contrast to his statements on February 7. During an interview, the president argued that «the problem of the OQTF concerns the host countries». «Regarding the OQTF, we refused them to a minister (Bruno Retailleau, editor's note) because he dared to take Algerians, whom I vowed to protect, put them on a plane, and send them back to Algeria. These Algerians have rights. They have been living in France for 10 to 15 years. Their rights must be respected (...) Anyone who wants to humiliate or ridicule Algeria has not yet been born», he declared passionately.
