French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that he hopes to "open a new chapter" in his country's relationship with Algeria, one of its former colonies in Africa, by boosting security and economic cooperation.
French President Emmanuel Macron, third right, poses for a selfie with residents in Algiers, Wednesday, Dec.6, 2017. Macron is traveling to Algeria for a one-day working visit aimed at boosting the security and economic cooperation between the two countries. (AP Photo/Anis Belghoul)
After arriving in Algiers for a one-day visit, Macron laid a wreath at the Martyrs' Memorial, a monument commemorating the Algeria's eight years of war with France that resulted in the country gaining independence in 1962 after 132 years under colonial rule.
"It's also a new chapter with this new Algerian generation who probably looks at France in a different way, who must also look at the promises of its own country and go and conquer a future which is not completely bright," Macron said while exchanging a few words and shaking hands with many young Algerians during a walk in the center of the capital city.
The French leader also is meeting with Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia and President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. They were to discuss the situation in neighboring Libya, as well as fighting extremism in the Sahel region of Africa, according to the French presidency.
As a president candidate in February, Macron visited Algeria and called France's colonization of the Muslim territory a "crime against humanity."
The comments prompted controversy in France, where the topic remains a source of tension. People with ties to Christian and Jewish families who moved to French colonies in North Africa before being expelled when the countries won independence held protests.
Macron, 39, noted in an interview with Algerian daily newspaper El Watan published Wednesday that he belongs to a generation which never knew French colonialism.
French President Emmanuel Macron, second right, and Algerian Senate house speaker Abdelkader Bensalah review the troops as Macron arrives in Algiers, Wednesday, Dec.6, 2017. (AP Photo/Anis Belghoul)
"I now wish we can look together toward the future, with respect to our history," he said.
Hadda Hazem, the editor of El-Fadjr newspaper, told The Associated Press that because of Algeria's complex history with France "we have missed out on relations which would have been more beneficial to Algeria, such as with Germany, Europe's top economic power."
Hazem recently went on a hunger strike to protest what she calls Algerian authorities' attempts to stifle her newspaper.
"We have to be more pragmatic. Our national interests must come first", she said.
French President Emmanuel Macron, second right, and Algerian Senate house speaker Abdelkader Bensalah review the troops as Macron arrives in Algiers, Wednesday, Dec.6, 2017. Macron is traveling to Algeria for a one-day working visit aimed at boosting the security and economic cooperation between the two countries. (AP Photo/Anis Belghoul)
Macron will depart Algiers Wednesday night for Doha, Qatar, where he is to visit French military forces based there and meet Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
A FRENCH MILITARY BASE, FRANCE (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron inspected the training of Ukrainian troops at a military camp in eastern France on Wednesday, a show of support for Ukraine as its Western allies consider a victory plan championed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
It was Macron’s first meeting with some of the 15,000 Ukrainian troops that France has trained since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, including several thousand put through training courses in Poland.
The Ukrainian brigade that Macron visited is being battle-readied and armed by France for front-line deployment. For security reasons, Macron’s office said the base’s specific location could not be reported.
French military personnel are teaching the Ukrainian soldiers how to use and maintain French-supplied weapons, and subjecting them to combat-like conditions, with stress, noise and drones. Trenches have been dug using methods and layouts similar to those in Ukraine.
The new force will symbolically be named the “Anne de Kiev brigade,” after a Kyiv princess who became queen of France in 1051 upon marrying King Henry I. Around 1,500 French military personnel are involved in the brigade’s training over several months.
The Ukrainian Brigade No. 155 will eventually be made up of 4,500 troops. Of those, 2,300 are being trained in France, forming three battalions of infantry, plus engineers, artillery teams and other specialists. The brigade’s other battalions will be trained by Ukraine.
“The Ukrainian soldiers are making progress quicker than we expected,” said the French colonel overseeing the training. He could only be identified by his first name, Paul, in line with military security rules.
Macron’s office said the brigade will get 128 armored troop carriers, 18 Caesar artillery pieces and 18 AMX light tanks, plus Milan anti-tank missiles and heavy trucks. Macron has pledged up to 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) worth of military aid for Ukraine this year, his office said.
Macron's renewed focus on Ukraine reflects how shifting politics in France have weakened his sway over domestic affairs. His decision to call surprise legislative elections in June backfired, leaving him with a minority government and strengthening the hand of opponents in parliament.
The government Tuesday survived a no-confidence vote, the first of what threatens to be repeated efforts by Macron's foes to bring down Prime Minister Michel Barnier in the months ahead.
Inspecting the Ukrainian troops is meant to highlight that Macron's influence in defense and foreign affairs remains largely intact.
Macron was joined by the French and Ukrainian defense ministers, Sébastien Lecornu and Rustem Umerov, in observing the troops.
AP correspondent John Leicester in Paris contributed.
French President Emmanuel Macron reviews French troops in a military camp in eastern France, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)
Ukrainian soldiers train in a military camp in eastern France, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, as French President Emmanuel Macron is to meet for the first time with some of the nearly 15,000 Ukrainian troops that France has trained for the country's fight against the Russian invasion. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)
Ukrainian soldiers train in a military camp in eastern France, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, as French President Emmanuel Macron is to meet for the first time with some of the nearly 15,000 Ukrainian troops that France has trained for the country's fight against the Russian invasion. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)
Ukrainian soldiers train in a military camp in eastern France, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, as French President Emmanuel Macron is to meet for the first time with some of the nearly 15,000 Ukrainian troops that France has trained for the country's fight against the Russian invasion. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)
Ukrainian soldiers train in a military camp in eastern France, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, as French President Emmanuel Macron is to meet for the first time with some of the nearly 15,000 Ukrainian troops that France has trained for the country's fight against the Russian invasion. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu, center right, and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov, center, visit a military camp in eastern France where Ukrainian soldiers train, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, as French President Emmanuel Macron is to meet for the first time with some of the nearly 15,000 Ukrainian troops that France has trained for the country's fight against the Russian invasion. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)
Ukrainian soldiers train in a military camp in eastern France, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, as French President Emmanuel Macron is to meet for the first time with some of the nearly 15,000 Ukrainian troops that France has trained for the country's fight against the Russian invasion. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu, center, and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov, center left, visit a military camp in eastern France where Ukrainian soldiers train, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, as French President Emmanuel Macron is to meet for the first time with some of the nearly 15,000 Ukrainian troops that France has trained for the country's fight against the Russian invasion. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)
FILE - Ukrainian infantrymen train with French soldiers to learn combat skills, in France, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, File)
FILE - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron shake hands after a press conference, on Feb. 16, 2024 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool, File)
