HIBAPRESS – Youssef Aqdad
Statements made by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during his periodical media meeting with representatives of the Algerian press sparked a widespread wave of controversy and reaction on social media platforms, after observers considered them inaccurate and raised questions about their context and content.
During this meeting, President Tebboune spoke about his request to the Pope to open an embassy for his country in Algeria, indicating the Vatican's agreement, while observers point out that the Vatican has actually had diplomatic representation and an embassy in Algiers since 1972, which increased the intensity of comments and interpretations about the statement. In the same context, Algerian political and media activist Said Bensidira said that these media appearances contribute to fueling controversy within public opinion, considering that they reflect a problem in managing the official political and media discourse. Bensidira stressed that such statements harm Algeria's image at the international level, considering that they make the country subject to ridicule and put it, according to his expression, in an embarrassing position and a laughingstock in front of its neighbors and global public opinion.
