French President Macron to travel to Algeria on Aug. 25 – Elysee

PARIS(Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron is planning to travel to Algeria next week, the Elysee palace announced on Saturday, saying that the official visit will take place from Aug.25-27.

Macron accepted an invitation by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, his office said. It will be Macron’s second official visit to the North African country which holds close business ties with Paris.

Thanks to its large natural gas reserves, Algeria recently has also become a centre of attention for the European Union in its efforts to cut back imports from Russia.

Relations between Macron and Tebboune last year soured when remarks made by the French president about Algeria’s history led to a diplomatic dispute linked to the two country’s shared colonial past.

(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel, Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten)