Algeria-France relations spiral as passport deal breached

Algeria has accused France of breaching a passport agreement as the tensions between the two countries continue to build.

According to Turkish government-friendly AA, on the 19th of May the Algerian Foreign Ministry criticised France for its “flagrant breach” of a 2013 agreement which gave exemption of visa requirements for diplomatic passport holders.

The issue was originally reported on the 17th of May when right-wing leaning French media outlets through unnamed sources claimed France had imposed visa restrictions on Algerian diplomatic officials.

This has led Algeria to claim that French discourse on the matter “appears to be taking a strange and suspicious turn.”

With regards to this situation, the Algerian ministry has made itself very clear it “will respond by strictly and precisely applying the principle of reciprocity, in proportion to the extent of France’s breach of its commitments and obligations.”

In a situation such as this, per Article 8 of the 2013 agreement, France is supposed to inform Algeria through diplomatic channels, which at this time has not been confirmed.

The Ministry of Algeria has made a damning statement regarding the alleged actions of France: “The French government seems to be moving toward freezing or suspending the 2013 agreement while attempting to evade responsibility and the consequences of such action in a flagrant violation of the agreement.”

This clear break between the Algerian government and the French is a tension which has been rising since Macron gave his support to Morocco controlling the Western Sahara.

Since then, Algeria and France have been back and forth through a slew of tit-for-tat expulsions. In this, Algeria and France have both expelled diplomats of either country, which has severely damaged the relationship between the two.

This damage appears to have become irreversible in recent months as Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot made the French stance clear on the 14th of May, claiming that the relationship is “totally blocked.”

AA/Maghrebi.org