Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is warning against the deterioration of relations with Morocco and advising his successor, Emmanuel Macron, not to attempt to “forge an artificial friendship” with Algeria.
In an interview with Le Figaro reported by AFP on Wednesday, Sarkozy said that despite supporting Macron in the last election, he doesn’t agree with him on the foreign policy he has enacted.
“Let’s refrain from trying to construct an artificial friendship with Algerian leaders who consistently use France as a scapegoat to conceal their own deficiencies and legitimacy deficits,” he said.
Noting Algeria’s systematic attempts to externalize the cause of their problems, Sarkozy said: “They are too reliant on diverting attention from the failures into which they have plunged their country by routinely laying blame on France for all their troubles.”
The news comes as Emmanuel Macron is actively working to establish a reconciliation of historical significance with Algeria.
As part of these efforts, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was set to go to the European country on a state visit. However, the visit, which was never officially announced, remains unscheduled due to ongoing issues between the two countries.
President Tebboune had assured Algerian television viewers this month that the visit was “still on track,” but he expressed a need for the schedule details from the French presidency.
During his Le Figaro interview, Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his concern about the potential repercussions of these efforts toward Algeria on the relationship with Morocco.
Marcon’s attempt to forge closer ties with Algeria is “creating distance between us and Morocco.”
“We are at risk of losing everything. Attempts to gain the trust of Algeria are unlikely to succeed, and we are concurrently diminishing the trust of Morocco,” the former French president stressed.
