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French President Emmanuel Macron has taken a hardline against the Algerian authorities in response for their refusal to accept their deported nationals from France.
In a letter sent to his Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, President Macron called on the government to demonstrate “more firmness and determination” in response to the “growing difficulties” Paris faces “regarding migration and security with Algeria.”
Macron also called on Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to officially notify Algeria of the suspension of a 2013 agreement that exempted diplomatic and official passport holders from visa requirements.
To prevent Algerian diplomats from being able to travel to France via a third country, France will ask its EU partners in the Schengen free travel to apply tighter visa policy, notably by consulting Paris for the issuance of short-stay visas for the Algerian officials.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has repeatedly called for the review of Franco-Algerian migration and visa arrangements following the Algerian authorities’ refusal to take back its citizens who have been ordered to leave France under the “OQTF” (obligation to leave French territory) deportation regime.
Relations between Paris and Algiers have deteriorated since France in July 2024 recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara. Tensions increased after Algeria detained Franco-Algerian author Boualem Sansal and after an Algerian citizen whom France had long tried unsuccessfully to repatriate was arrested as the suspect in a knife attack in the city of Mulhouse that killed one person and injured three.
The lunatic Algerian rulers are steering their country into a collision course, deepening its international isolation. The new travel restrictions imposed on Algerian diplomats come after the EU included Algeria in its black list of high-risk countries for money laundering and terrorism financing. This will hit hard the Algerian oil-dependent economy, leading to the defection of foreign investors, loss of international trust, and a surge in inflation, unemployment and stagnation.
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