Press Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - France 07/08/2025

Translation:

The Algerian authorities have carefully examined the letter sent by the President of the French Republic to his Prime Minister, as well as the clarifications provided by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs on August 7th to the Chargé d’Affaires of the Algerian Embassy in France.

This examination of the letter and the accompanying clarifications has led to a number of important preliminary observations.

First, regarding the deterioration of Algerian-French relations, this letter fully exonerates France from all responsibility and places the blame entirely on the Algerian side. Nothing could be further from the truth or more detached from reality than such a claim. Throughout every stage of this crisis, official statements were issued by the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These statements consistently and clearly identified the party responsible for the escalation and explained that the reactions and countermeasures taken by the Algerian authorities were strictly and precisely within the framework of the principle of reciprocity.

Second, the letter seeks to portray France as a country committed to respecting its bilateral and international obligations, while presenting Algeria as a state that continuously violates its commitments. Here too, this portrayal bears no relation to the truth or to reality. It is France that violated its own national laws. It is France that breached three bilateral agreements: the 1968 Algerian-French agreement concerning the freedom of movement, employment, and residence of Algerian nationals and their families in France; the 1974 Algerian-French consular agreement; and the 2013 agreement on visa exemptions for holders of diplomatic and service passports. Moreover, France reduced its entire focus to the 1994 Algerian-French agreement concerning the deportation of Algerian nationals residing irregularly in France — an agreement whose true intent and original purpose were distorted by the French side. France also failed to honor its obligations under the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights.

France’s breaches of all these commitments aimed only to disregard the acquired rights of Algerian nationals who were, in most cases, arbitrarily and unfairly expelled from French territory, depriving them of the administrative and judicial remedies guaranteed by French law itself, and undermining the consular protection duties incumbent on the Algerian state in all times and places.

Third, since the outbreak of this crisis, which was caused by France, the latter chose to handle it through force and escalation. It resorted to threats, ultimatums, and diktats, ignoring the fact that Algeria does not yield to any form of pressure, coercion, or blackmail, regardless of its source or nature.

These preliminary observations are what dictate Algeria’s response to the letter addressed by the French Head of State to his Prime Minister.

In this regard, Algeria wishes to recall, once again, that it never initiated any request to conclude a bilateral agreement exempting holders of diplomatic and service passports from visa requirements. It was France — and France alone — that initiated this request on multiple occasions. By deciding to suspend this agreement, France has now offered Algeria the appropriate opportunity to announce, in turn, the termination of the agreement — clearly and simply. In accordance with Article 8 of this agreement, the Algerian government will notify the French government of this measure as soon as possible through diplomatic channels.

From now on, visas issued to holders of French diplomatic and service passports will be subject, in all respects, to the same conditions imposed by the French authorities on their Algerian counterparts.

As for the announced activation of the “visa-for-deportation” mechanism, the Algerian government considers this measure to be a blatant violation of both the 1968 Algerian-French agreement and the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights. Algeria reaffirms that it will continue to fulfill its duty of consular protection for its nationals in France, assist them in defending their rights, and ensure full respect for the protections afforded to them by French and European laws against all forms of abuse and violations.

On another note, the letter from the French Head of State to his Prime Minister presents a distorted account of the issue of accrediting diplomatic and consular staff between the two countries. For more than two years, it was France that took the initiative of refusing to grant accreditation to Algerian consular staff, including three Consuls General and five Consuls. In this matter, as in others, Algeria merely applied the principle of reciprocity. Once France lifts its obstructions, Algeria will respond with similar measures. This Algerian position, which remains in effect, has been officially communicated to the French authorities.

In its concluding paragraphs, the letter from the French Head of State to his Prime Minister mentions several bilateral disagreements that need to be resolved. Algeria, for its part, intends to raise additional disagreements with the French side through diplomatic channels, which should also be addressed in the same spirit of seeking resolution.