France’s Macron addresses visa issue during Algeria trip

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron says he has agreed with his Algerian counterpart to work to combat illegal immigration while ensuring more flexible ways for the North African country’s nationals to legally come to France. Macron’s comments Friday come during a three-day visit to Algeria meant to reset relations between the two countries, after a major diplomatic crisis last year over the visa issue. Tensions were heightened by a French decision to slash the number of visas issued to people in North Africa, including Algeria, because governments there were refusing to take back migrants expelled from France. Both countries resumed cooperation in December.