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Algeria announced Thursday the termination of a bilateral agreement on visa exemptions for diplomatic and service passport holders, reacting to a move by France to suspend the deal.
The response, delivered through a statement by Algeria’s foreign ministry, accuses Paris of distorting reality and dodging blame, a stance that observers see as part of a broader pattern of provocation from Algiers.
The statement criticized an official letter in which French President Emmanuel Macron had called for a temporary suspension of the visa exemption deal with Algeria. Oozing indignation, the Algerian statement notably took issue with Macron for portraying Algeria as solely responsible for the deterioration of bilateral ties.
Regarding the visa exemption agreement, Algiers recalled that “it was France, and France alone, that initiated such a request. By deciding to suspend this agreement, France is offering Algeria the perfect opportunity to, in turn, announce the outright termination of that very same agreement.”
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, President Macron had urged the French government to take additional decisions and to act with “greater firmness and determination” against Algeria and its authorities.
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The letter came amid France’s calls for Algeria’s authorities to repatriate their citizens facing deportation.
It was also prompted by the Algerian authorities’ refusal to free French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who had received a five-year prison sentence for expressing support for Morocco’s territorial integrity during an interview.
The visa exemption deal, initially requested by France, had facilitated high-level mobility between the two countries.
But instead of acknowledging the diplomatic framework that made such cooperation possible, Algeria used France’s suspension as a pretext to withdraw entirely from the agreement.
While Algeria adopted a confrontational tone, France maintained a more composed posture.
Bayrou underlined that Paris does not seek a state of ongoing hostility, and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal reinforced that message during a trip to Charente-Maritime.
“We are applying the President’s decisions not in the spirit of endless conflict, but to eventually rebuild a relationship that is fair and balanced,” he said.
In response to a series of measures imposed by Algerian authorities on French diplomats, including expulsions and travel limitations, Macron’s letter called for the formal suspension of the 2013 visa exemption agreement.
The deal had allowed Algerian officials and holders of diplomatic passports to enter France without a visa.
Ties between Paris and Algiers have deteriorated since France in July 2024 recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
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