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ALGIERS, Dec. 6-- French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday paid a one-day visit to Algeria to boost bilateral relations and reinforce security cooperation, while the memory of the colonial past of France in the North African nation was again under the spotlight. It is Macron's first visit to the North African country since he took office seven months ago. His visit to Algeria had been scheduled in September but was postponed. During his short stay in the capital Algiers, Macron was accompanied by his Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Minister of Public Action and Accounts Gerard Darmanin, as well as some parliamentary members and artists. Macron is expected to meet with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and other Algerian officials to discuss issues including assessing bilateral political dialogue and economic cooperation. Security and anti-terror cooperation, in addition to the regional situation, will also be on the agenda. So far, Algiers and Paris have failed to normalize their long-standing bilateral relations, as the two countries are still unable to overcome the "painful" past, or the 132-year French colonization in the North Africa nation. In Algeria, it is understood that the relations with France could reach normalization only when Paris recognizes the crimes it committed during the colonial era, and offers apology to the victims of the "brutal" colonial rule. However, Paris is still considering colonialism a bright era which brought "civilization" to other areas. It admits that "some atrocities" were committed, but declined to apologize for them. | 
