Algeria has accused France of violating international law by restricting staff at its mission in Paris from delivering and recovering diplomatic bags
Algeria has withdrawn all privileged access cards granted to staff of the French Embassy at the North African country’s ports and airports, in a reciprocal move over what Algiers says are restrictions imposed on its diplomats in France.
In a statement on Saturday, the Algerian Foreign Ministry said the country’s embassy in Paris is facing “persistent obstacles” in the delivery and recovery of diplomatic bags. The ministry said it had summoned the French charge d’affaires to protest the French government’s “blatant violation of international obligations.”
Algiers said the measure, “initially limited to the Algerian Embassy in France,” have been extended to consular posts as well, despite prior assurances from the French Foreign Ministry that it would review the measure.
The latest dispute adds to mounting tensions between Algeria and France, whose relations have been beset by a series of diplomatic flare-ups in recent months. The two countries have often clashed over post-colonial grievances, migration policy, and France’s recent backing for Morocco’s stance on the disputed Western Sahara – a territory Algeria has long supported in its push for independence.
In May, France announced it would expel Algerian diplomats in response to the former colony’s decision to remove more than a dozen French officials, whom it accused Paris of appointing without following established protocols. Earlier in April, both countries expelled 12 diplomats in a tit-for-tat dispute sparked by the arrest of an Algerian official in France, prompting Paris to recall its ambassador.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot recently declared that ties between France and Algeria were now “totally blocked,” despite earlier efforts by President Emmanuel Macron and his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to ease tensions. During a phone call in late March, the two leaders pledged to pursue dialogue, and days later Barrot traveled to Algiers for talks on improving mobility and strengthening what Paris described as “effective and constructive” consular cooperation.
