Algeria and France have agreed to restore high-level security cooperation after a visit to Algiers by French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, in what both sides are presenting as a turning point in a strained relationship.

Following talks with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Nuñez announced that the two governments would reactivate a joint security mechanism bringing together senior officials from the interior, justice and intelligence services. The framework, dormant amid recent diplomatic tensions, is intended to coordinate work on counterterrorism, organised crime and judicial cooperation.

The visit unfolded against a difficult backdrop. Relations have been badly frayed by France’s decision to endorse Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara, a territory where Algeria backs the pro-independence Polisario Front. The dispute added to long-standing sensitivities rooted in Algeria’s colonial past and recurring disagreements over migration and visas.

Nuñez said his delegation had spent hours in working sessions focused on “restoring normal security relations,” with particular emphasis on information-sharing between police and intelligence agencies and smoother handling of cross-border investigations.

A central issue was migration. Paris has repeatedly pressed Algiers to accept the return of Algerian nationals living irregularly in France. Nuñez said Tebboune had instructed his services to improve cooperation on readmissions, a signal Paris has been seeking as it tightens domestic immigration policy.

Images released by Algerian authorities showed the French interior minister flanked by France’s domestic intelligence chief alongside Algeria’s head of internal security and senior police and gendarmerie commanders, underscoring the security-heavy focus of the talks.

Both governments face a shared security environment that has grown more volatile. Algeria borders Niger and Mali, where military juntas are struggling to contain jihadist insurgencies and where French forces have been pushed out, complicating Paris’s regional counterterrorism posture. French officials see Algiers as an indispensable partner for intelligence and border control across the Sahel.

Nuñez had also flagged his intention to raise the case of Christophe Gleizes, a French sports journalist sentenced in Algeria for “glorifying terrorism.” Algerian officials did not disclose whether the matter was discussed, and there was no indication of progress on the family’s request for a presidential pardon.

Both sides say the renewed cooperation should take effect quickly and be maintained at a high level, though diplomats caution that rebuilding trust after years of disputes will require sustained political will in Paris and Algiers.