Statements by French President Emmanuel Macron, who believes that Algeria is “dishonoring itself” by keeping writer Boualem Sansal in detention, were described Tuesday as “unacceptable” by Algerian diplomacy and have sparked an outcry in the country.
The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Tuesday in response to the offensive statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting with French ambassadors worldwide.
The statement expressed the Algerian government’s “deep astonishment” at the French President’s comments on Algeria, noting that “these statements offend, first and foremost, those who thought it was appropriate to make them in such a careless manner.”
The ministry strongly condemned Macron’s statements, asserting that “these remarks must be condemned, rejected, and denounced for representing an unacceptable and blatant interference in Algeria’s internal affairs.”
“What the French president falsely and misleadingly presents as a matter of freedom of expression is, in fact, not in accordance with the laws of a sovereign and independent state,” the statement added, emphasising that, at its core, it is an assault on the territorial integrity of the country, which is a crime punishable under Algerian law.