Algeria summoned France’s chargé d’affaires Wednesday to protest a French Embassy statement on visa procedures, escalating diplomatic tensions. The French Embassy had announced Tuesday it would cut diplomatic and consular staff in Algeria by one-third starting September.
Algeria’s Foreign Ministry accused Paris of employing a “policy of blackmail” and issued a “categorical rejection” of the embassy’s claims. Officials warned the French envoy that addressing the Algerian public directly breached protocol and misrepresented facts, unfairly blaming Algeria.
The French Embassy said bilateral tensions had sharply reduced staff in Algiers, Oran, and Annaba, limiting visa processing for Algerians. Algeria countered that its refusal to approve new French diplomats followed Paris’s similar measure and exhausted all negotiation efforts.
The ministry stressed that France’s inaction violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, enforcing strict reciprocity after two years of delays. Currently, 46 Algerian diplomats cannot assume their posts in France, hampering services and consular protection for citizens abroad.
Relations between the two countries deteriorated in July 2024, when Paris supported Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara. The conflict echoes the 2007 proposal for Moroccan self-rule, opposed by the Polisario Front and backed by Algeria, maintaining long-standing regional tensions.
Algeria framed its actions as a defensive measure against unilateral French decisions, warning that diplomatic breaches threaten bilateral trust and cooperation. Both nations now operate at the chargé d’affaires level, reflecting a deep freeze in ties and uncertain prospects for reconciliation.
