Algeria has formally begun rebuilding its relationship with France after nearly two years of diplomatic tensions triggered by Paris’s decision to support Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara, a move that angered Algiers and led to one of the most serious crises between the two countries in decades.
The shift became evident on Monday as Algerian Interior Minister Saïd Sayoud arrived in France, marking the first visit by a senior Algerian official to the country since the diplomatic fallout erupted in the summer of 2024. The visit is widely seen as a sign that Algeria has decided to move forward with restoring bilateral ties without making the Western Sahara issue a precondition for dialogue with Paris.
According to French and Algerian media reports, the Western Sahara dispute is absent from the agenda of discussions between French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and his Algerian counterpart. Instead, the talks are expected to focus on migration, security cooperation, civil protection, and several outstanding bilateral issues, including the case of French journalist Christophe Gleizes, who remains detained in Algeria.
The visit follows a series of diplomatic contacts and reciprocal visits in recent months, suggesting that Algeria has begun separating its disagreement with France over Western Sahara from other areas where cooperation remains necessary.
For much of the past two years, Algeria sought to link the normalization of relations with France to a reversal of Paris’s position on the Western Sahara issue. However, France has not altered its stance and continues to support Morocco’s autonomy initiative as the basis for resolving the dispute.
The resumption of high-level exchanges therefore indicates that Algerian authorities increasingly recognize that maintaining tensions over the Western Sahara issue is unlikely to produce changes in French policy. As a result, Algiers now appears more willing to address migration, security, economic cooperation, and judicial matters independently of the territorial dispute.
The evolving approach also reflects growing awareness in Algeria that France’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan has become part of a broader strategic orientation toward Rabat rather than a temporary diplomatic position open to revision.
This development comes as international backing for Morocco’s autonomy initiative continues to expand. Over recent years, a growing number of influential countries have endorsed the Moroccan proposal as a serious, realistic, and credible framework for settling the decades-long conflict.
Support for the autonomy plan has gained additional momentum following recent diplomatic developments and renewed international calls for a political solution based on compromise and realism. The proposal also continues to enjoy strong backing from the United States, which remains actively engaged in efforts aimed at advancing a final settlement.
Until recently, Algeria strongly opposed Morocco’s autonomy initiative and reacted sharply whenever foreign governments endorsed it. Similar tensions emerged with Spain after Madrid backed the Moroccan proposal in 2022, prompting Algeria to recall its ambassador and apply diplomatic and economic pressure on the Spanish government.
A comparable scenario unfolded in 2024 when France joined the list of countries supporting Morocco’s autonomy plan. Algeria viewed the move as a major diplomatic setback and responded by withdrawing its ambassador from Paris, plunging bilateral relations into a prolonged period of tension.
The dispute soon expanded beyond Western Sahara. Algeria adopted a tougher stance on several issues linked to bilateral cooperation, particularly migration, repeatedly refusing to accept some of its nationals expelled from France and contributing to recurring disputes between the two governments.
The crisis was further aggravated by a series of political disagreements and public exchanges between officials on both sides. French political circles increasingly accused Algeria of using migration and security cooperation as leverage in an attempt to pressure Paris into reconsidering its position on the Sahara issue.
Other contentious cases also emerged, including the detention of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal. His arrest became a symbol of deteriorating relations before he was released last year following mediation efforts reportedly involving the German presidency.
Despite Sansal’s release, several sensitive issues remain unresolved. Among them is the case of French journalist Christophe Gleizes, whose detention is expected to feature prominently in discussions between Nuñez and Sayoud as both countries seek to rebuild confidence and restore functional cooperation.
What distinguishes the current phase, however, is that these discussions are taking place without any apparent attempt to place the Western Sahara dispute at the center of the bilateral agenda. For the first time since the crisis began, Algeria appears willing to restore relations with France while accepting that Paris’s position on the issue is unlikely to change, signaling a more pragmatic approach to managing a relationship that remains strategically important for both countries.
