The Elysee Palace confirmed on Saturday that French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Algeria next week. The official visit will take place from August 25 to 27.

According to his office, Macron accepted an invitation from Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. It will be Macron’s second official visit to the North African country, which has strong commercial connections with France.

Algeria has lately become a focus of concern for the European Union in its efforts to reduce imports from Russia, owing to its vast natural gas reserves.

Relations between Macron and Tebboune deteriorated last year when statements made by the French president regarding Algeria’s history sparked a diplomatic row over the two countries’ shared colonial past.