Algeria revokes privileges for French Embassy

(MENAFN) Algeria has revoked all privileged access cards for French Embassy personnel at its ports and airports, responding to what it calls restrictions placed on Algerian diplomats in France. The Algerian Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that its embassy in Paris has faced ongoing difficulties in handling diplomatic bags and summoned the French chargé d’affaires to protest France’s “blatant violation of international obligations.”

Originally, the measure targeted only the Algerian Embassy in France but has since been expanded to include consular offices, despite earlier promises from the French Foreign Ministry to reconsider the restrictions.

This development marks another escalation in the strained relationship between Algeria and France, which has recently experienced multiple diplomatic disputes. The two nations often clash over colonial legacies, migration policies, and France’s support for Morocco’s position on the contested Western Sahara—a territory Algeria supports for independence.

In May, France responded to Algeria’s expulsion of over a dozen French officials by expelling Algerian diplomats. Earlier in April, both countries exchanged diplomat expulsions following the arrest of an Algerian official in France, leading Paris to recall its ambassador.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot recently described bilateral relations as “totally blocked,” despite previous attempts by Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Abdelmadjid Tebboune to improve ties. In March, the leaders agreed to continue dialogue, and Barrot visited Algiers shortly after to discuss mobility and strengthen consular cooperation, which France termed “effective and constructive.”

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