French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Algeria next week from August 25 to 27, in a bid to improve strained ties between Paris and Algiers.

Macron accepted an invitation by the Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, his office said on Saturday. It will be Macron’s second official visit to the North African country after a brief one in December 2017 at the start of his first term when Abdelaziz Bouteflika was still president.

French-Algerian ties hit a low  late last year after Macron reportedly questioned whether Algeria had existed as a nation before the French invasion and accused its “political-military system” of rewriting history and fomenting “hatred towards France”.

Algeria withdrew its ambassador  in response, but the two sides appear to have mended ties  since.

“This trip will contribute to deepening the bilateral relationship looking to the future … to reinforce Franco-Algerian cooperation in the face of regional challenges and to continue the work of addressing the past,” France’s presidency said in a statement after a call between Macron and Tebboune.