Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika appeared on state television on Wednesday for the first time since he was rushed to a hospital in France on April 27 after a stroke.

Bouteflika, 76, had not been seen in public since. The release of the video and a photograph of the same scene appeared aimed at quelling widespread speculation about his health.

The footage showed the president at a meeting on Tuesday with the prime minister and the army chief of staff at the Institution Nationale des Invalides in Paris. The official APS news agency said the meeting was to discuss Algeria's political and security situation.

There was no natural audio in the film which was broadcast with a voiceover.

Sitting in a chair, wearing a black coat and smiling to the two officials, a frail-looking Bouteflika moved his right hand as he spoke and took pieces of cake from a plate on a table in front of him. - Reuters