French Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Algerian Abdelmadjid Tebboun signed a joint declaration on Saturday to “renew partnership” 60 years after the end of the war and Algeria’s independence.

During a press conference following the signing of the declaration in the protocol hall of the Houari Boumediene airport, Tebboune said that “the successful visit of his French counterpart made it possible to achieve a rapprochement that would not have been possible without the personality of President Macron.”

And French news agency AFP reported yesterday that “Macron and Tebbun will sign a partnership agreement on Saturday in Algiers.”

Macron affirmed: “The French-Algerian past is painful and sometimes hindered us from moving forward”, noting that “you can look at the past to share history”, and pointed out that “our goal is to build the future, and we did not choose the past.” In announcing the formation of a joint committee of historians on colonialism and the war of independence with Algeria, he also stressed: “We reaffirm our support for efforts to combat terrorism in the Sahel.”