France – Algeria: a new wave of expulsions of Algerian diplomats plunges relations in the crisis

The tension between France and Algeria reaches a new summit. At the start of the week, the Algerian government decided to expel fifteen French agents deemed present in an illegitimate way on Algerian soil, leading to an immediate reaction from Paris which in turn announced the collective expulsion of Algerian diplomats in France. This information was confirmed Tuesday by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, followed by an intervention by Jean-Noël Barrot in the media this Wednesday. At the same time, France calls for dialogue.

On May 11, the officer’s manager of the French Embassy in Algeria was summoned by the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he was asked to proceed to the immediate return of French agents “in irregular assignment”. According to the National APS national news agency, the Algerian authorities had recently noticed that fifteen French agents, supposed to occupy diplomatic or consular positions, had been deployed without these assignments being previously notified or that they have received the necessary accreditations, in accordance with established procedures.

These agents had arrived with diplomatic passports. According to the 2013 agreement between the two nations, they do not need a visa to enter Algeria. However, as reported by the APS, it was a service passport which was allocated to them, and they received diplomatic passports “to facilitate their access to Algeria”. Among them, two agents are affiliated with the French interior ministry and aimed to “partially replace those who had recently been declared Persona Non Grata”.

Convocation of the Algerian Business Officer in Paris

On Monday, May 12, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs promised a “fast, firm and proportionate” response. France’s decision was revealed on Tuesday, May 13.

In a statement, the Quai d’Orsay said that he had summoned the Algerian Embassy official in Paris “in response to the unilateral decision of the Algerian authorities to impose new conditions of entry for French agents in possession of official, diplomatic or service passports”. France considers this measure as a “violation of the 2013 agreement”.

“The manager has been informed that France would take equivalent measures towards Algeria, with a concern for strict reciprocity,” said the Quai d’Orsay, adding that France reserves the right to take other measures according to the evolution of the situation.

The press release insists on the need for the Algerian authorities to “show responsibility and to resume a demanding and constructive dialogue which had been initiated for the benefit of the two nations”.

This Wednesday morning, Jean-Noël Barrot detailed the French position on BFMTV, qualifying the Algerian decision “unjustified and unjustifiable”. “Our answer is immediate and proportionate: the return to Algeria of all agents with diplomatic passports without visa,” he said.

This action questions the 2013 agreement which allowed a reciprocal exemption from visa for holders of diplomatic passports. Note that Bruno Retailleau said in April that the next stage of France’s “graduated response” could include a questioning of this agreement.

In response to the arrest of an Algerian consular agent in France at the beginning of the month, Algeria had declared last month twelve agents of the embassy and the consulates of France “persona non grata”, ordering them to leave the country within 48 hours. These agents all come under the responsibility of the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau, which Algeria has pointed out as the responsible for the degradation of bilateral relations, after an attempt to bring together in early April.

In response, France also expelled twelve Algerian consular agents and recalled its ambassador to Algiers, Stéphane Romatet, for “consultations”.

These reciprocal measures are considered to be unprecedented in bilateral relations between the two nations since the independence of Algeria in 1962.