The former Iranian ambassador in Algeria said:
"The French suppressed the identity of people in Algeria."
Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy hosted a scientific meeting in partnership with the Center for International and Scientific Cooperation (CISC) and Research Center for Political Sciences and Thought on "an analysis of regional status of Algeria and its relations with Islamic Republic of Iran" with the presence of Dr. Reza Ameri, the former Iranian ambassador in Algeria, on Sunday, December 1, 2019.
According to International Office of CISC, Reza Ameri outlined the Algeria's status from the past to the present.
He considered Algeria as the largest African country in North Africa with a population of about forty-two or three million and covering two million three hundred and eighty one thousand square kilometers. Arabic is the official language of the country, but according to latest statistics in 2016, but Amazighi language along with Arabic have been recognized as the official language.
From a geopolitical standpoint, due to the long coastline along the Mediterranean coast, the proximity to Europe via the Mediterranean as well as high-energy resources such as gas and oil, it is of great importance to European countries.
Ameri went on to say: "This country is politically considered our friend because it is an African and Islamic country and has had anti-colonial struggle with France for many years."
The former Iranian ambassador in Algeria talked about the history of this country since the arrival of Phoenicians in 647 BC and Muslims from 1518 to 1830 and the French colonization from 1830 to 1962. The French committed many crimes during the occupation and tried to erase the identity of the people. They suppressed Arabic. Education was strictly banned so that the literacy rate reached 20 percent at the time of independence. Unemployment rose sharply. France has even carried out several atomic tests in the Algerian desert that some people are still suffering from the physical abnormalities resulting from these tests.
Algeria has granted so many martyrs for its revolution that this number has reached to one million and half, and due to this fact, this country is known as "the 1500000-martyr country". 
Finally, he said, "the country was involved in prolonged civil wars even after independence. As the civil war subsided, the country found itself resting. However, the country's high dependency on oil, the inadequate foreign investment, and the xenophobia of its people, and the sometimes violent behavior among them, have made the situation unfavorable.