France-Algeria/In Algiers, the mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, unfolds "city diplomacy".
The Mayor of Marseille has returned from his first official trip of the term, reserved for the Algerian capital. In addition to meeting the region's authorities, he was able to forge ties with the government and President Tebboune.
Marseille and Algiers, "two sister cities that look at each other from across the Mediterranean": during his four-day visit to the Algerian capital, Benoît Payan honed his discourse to perfection. He spoke to the Wali of Algiers - a sort of "super mayor" of the city and its region, the wilaya - to various Algerian ministers, and even to the President of the Republic of Algeria.to the President of the Republic of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, with whom he met for almost three hours on Tuesday.
During this first official trip since the start of his term of office, the mayor (DVG) of Marseille reiterated to all his interlocutors that Algiers was a must before any other destination in Europe or the world. "Because I believe we need to open up exchanges between our two cities," he stresses.
"Bringing cooperation between the two cities to life
"Marseilles and Algiers are linked by their geographical position. Marseille is Algiers' gateway to Europe, and vice versa, it is Marseille's gateway to Africa. These are two territories rich in resources, which need to transit more intensively," insists Benoît Payan on his return to France's second-largest city after a trip dedicated to revitalizing cooperation between these "two mirror cities".
With this in mind, the chief magistrate and Abdenour Rabehi, the wali of Algiers, signed an agreement paving the way for partnerships in areas as varied as the maritime economy, the environment, urban planning, youth and culture. That's why Benoît Payan didn't come alone, bringing along a dozen of his deputies as well as representatives from Marseille's cultural and economic worlds. From now on, "we need to bring this agreement to life", says the Mayor of Marseille. On Monday evening, at a reception hosted by France's ambassador to Algeria, Stéphane Romatet, "we felt that the biggest banks, industries, transport and shipping companies were all asking for just one thing: to establish partnerships and contacts. We need to normalize relations between the two cities. And beyond that, between the two countries".
This is the "city diplomacy" strategy that Benoît Payan rolled out on the other side of the Mediterranean this week. A diplomacy that is "horizontal, from mayor to wali, in a logic of decentralized cooperation, and which works both ways, in the sharing of experience to nourish public policies in both countries", describes a person close to the mayor. The strategy seems to have paid off, and the Algerian authorities have been receptive to it, going so far as to invite the Mayor of Marseille to meet President Tebboune. "The President wanted to show his level of hospitality and his pride in seeing his country shine. And conversely, Marseille shines at all levels with the various exchanges the mayor has been able to have."
Nothing came of this long meeting with Abdelmadjid Tebboune. "The President clearly understood the importance of getting Marseilles and Algiers to talk," says a source in the mayor's entourage. With this presidential exchange, the mayor now knows that he was right to reserve the honors of his first official trip for the white city.
Source: www.laprovence.com/
