President Hollande’s visit to Algeria 19-20 December
Algeria and France are looking to improve bilateral relations which have seen regular occasions of tension due to past colonial history, have begun to work towards a closer relationship based on stronger economic ties.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/President-Holla...
The two governments have recently discussed a partnership of "strategic exception" which should lead to a friendship treaty, negotiated in vain for several years.
Algiers is in favour of a "win-win" partnership with France and wants real technology transfer, support for economic development and human resource development.
"Algeria is favourable to a strong and vibrant relationship with France, based on the density of links and the many interests which unite our two countries," said the President of the Republic Abdelaziz Bouteflika in an interview with the AFP a few days before visit of President François Hollande in Algiers.
Algeria is effectively arguing for "a partnership that resists contingencies and moves beyond trade relations where each reduces the other to an outlet," in the words of the Head of State.
This concern was also expressed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mourad Medelci who had recently stated in an interview in the monthly Arabies "Algeria attaches the greatest importance to this partnership which aims to give a broader base and more diversified its economy. "
The head of the Algerian diplomacy, said that France could contribute to this exceptional cooperation by industry partnerships, technology transfer and know-how, support for the modernization of the management and support in the full entry and of Algeria as amember of the Worlkd Trade Organisation.
France must go on the offensive on its African markets which are threatened by China and the United States. The "strategic partnership" with Algeria is an opportunity for French companies as the economic crisis tightens demand and the markets for French products with reduced funding for investment.
Despite the fact that France is the leading trading partner of Algeria with more than $ 7 billion in 2011, the volume of investment in Algeria is far less than other countres in the Maghreb region, experts say.
In 2010, 71% ($ 9.1 billion) of these investments went to Morocco against only 15% (1.9 billion dollars) captured by Algeria, according to figures released in 2011 by the Economic Mission in Ubifrance Algeria.
Since 2001 to date, only 81 projects were actually French made in Algeria and of the 109 companies launched they created only 11,000 jobs during the entire period, according to the Algerian investment department ANDI.
French investments have also declined in the important oil producing sector in Algeria, , causing former Sonatrach officials to describe the French energy companies as "cautious", preferring turnkey plant contracts to exploration and production.
This has been criticised by Algiers which claimed productive investment with technology transfer, given its status as a regional economic powerhouse.
Algerian concern was the basis for the beginning of understanding with the French in 2011, who sent their envoy Jean Pierre Raffarin to Algiers to boost cooperation in advance of concrete measures with the visit of President Hollande on 19 and 20 December.
The last visit of the Special Envoy of the French President in late November in Algiers marked the ground for broad economic partnership under discussion for more than two years, but no announcement has been made on the subjects of Renault and Total’s heavy ethane steam cracker.
Both parties have preferred to leave it to the heads of state of the two countries to announce the completion of negotiations when they meet Wednesday in Algiers.
In total, twenty agreements were concluded between Algerian and French companies, in Algiers in May 2011 at the Economic Partnership Cooperation Forum between the two countries.The Raffarin mission has clarified the position on projects such as the manufacture of glass from Saint-Gobain and the Algerian Alver and in insurance between the insurer French AXA and BEA and the National Investment Fund (NIF).
Added to other projects a milk production plant and the manufacture of medicines by the French laboratory Sanofi Aventis which is committed to developing a plant in Algeria.
Algiers is in favour of a "win-win" partnership with France and wants real technology transfer, support for economic development and human resource development.
"Algeria is favourable to a strong and vibrant relationship with France, based on the density of links and the many interests which unite our two countries," said the President of the Republic Abdelaziz Bouteflika in an interview with the AFP a few days before visit of President François Hollande in Algiers.
Algeria is effectively arguing for "a partnership that resists contingencies and moves beyond trade relations where each reduces the other to an outlet," in the words of the Head of State.
This concern was also expressed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mourad Medelci who had recently stated in an interview in the monthly Arabies "Algeria attaches the greatest importance to this partnership which aims to give a broader base and more diversified its economy. "
The head of the Algerian diplomacy, said that France could contribute to this exceptional cooperation by industry partnerships, technology transfer and know-how, support for the modernization of the management and support in the full entry and of Algeria as amember of the Worlkd Trade Organisation.
France must go on the offensive on its African markets which are threatened by China and the United States. The "strategic partnership" with Algeria is an opportunity for French companies as the economic crisis tightens demand and the markets for French products with reduced funding for investment.
Despite the fact that France is the leading trading partner of Algeria with more than $ 7 billion in 2011, the volume of investment in Algeria is far less than other countres in the Maghreb region, experts say.
In 2010, 71% ($ 9.1 billion) of these investments went to Morocco against only 15% (1.9 billion dollars) captured by Algeria, according to figures released in 2011 by the Economic Mission in Ubifrance Algeria.
Since 2001 to date, only 81 projects were actually French made in Algeria and of the 109 companies launched they created only 11,000 jobs during the entire period, according to the Algerian investment department ANDI.
French investments have also declined in the important oil producing sector in Algeria, , causing former Sonatrach officials to describe the French energy companies as "cautious", preferring turnkey plant contracts to exploration and production.
This has been criticised by Algiers which claimed productive investment with technology transfer, given its status as a regional economic powerhouse.
Algerian concern was the basis for the beginning of understanding with the French in 2011, who sent their envoy Jean Pierre Raffarin to Algiers to boost cooperation in advance of concrete measures with the visit of President Hollande on 19 and 20 December.
The last visit of the Special Envoy of the French President in late November in Algiers marked the ground for broad economic partnership under discussion for more than two years, but no announcement has been made on the subjects of Renault and Total’s heavy ethane steam cracker.
Both parties have preferred to leave it to the heads of state of the two countries to announce the completion of negotiations when they meet Wednesday in Algiers.
In total, twenty agreements were concluded between Algerian and French companies, in Algiers in May 2011 at the Economic Partnership Cooperation Forum between the two countries.The Raffarin mission has clarified the position on projects such as the manufacture of glass from Saint-Gobain and the Algerian Alver and in insurance between the insurer French AXA and BEA and the National Investment Fund (NIF).
Added to other projects a milk production plant and the manufacture of medicines by the French laboratory Sanofi Aventis which is committed to developing a plant in Algeria.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/President-Holla...