French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday he hoped that the recent visit of his junior minister Alice Rufo to Algeria marked "the beginning" of a "resumption" of relations, criticizing the "domestic political posturing" of recent months which, according to him, "caused a lot of harm" to both countries.

"I consider it my duty to defend the interests of the French people," which is that "we find a peaceful, constructive relationship with Algeria. This relationship must be respectful on both sides, but it must allow us to find solutions on all issues," the French president said at a press conference in Kenya.

French Minister Delegate for the Armed Forces Alice Rufo and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune established a roadmap on Saturday to "intensify" their cooperation - particularly in the security and military fields - which has been strained by nearly two years of deep diplomatic crisis.

"The last few months have caused a lot of damage to both Algeria and France. And it is not in our interest to pursue this solution and to adopt any kind of domestic political stance," insisted Emmanuel Macron, who has previously criticized the confrontation with Algiers desired by the French right and far right, notably former Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau.

"My wish is to pragmatically" reach "responsible solutions with Algeria," "whether they are humanitarian, migratory, security-related, but also economic or regional," he stated.

Relations between France and Algeria, a former French colony that gained independence in 1962 after a bloody war of liberation, have been complex ever since. More than two million Algerians and French citizens of Algerian origin live in France.