Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – France 27/08/2025
The chargé d’affaires of the French Embassy in Algeria was summoned on August 27, 2025, to the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Director General of Protocol.
This summons followed the statement issued by the French diplomatic mission regarding the accreditation of French diplomatic and consular agents in Algeria.
The French diplomat’s attention was strongly drawn to the serious breach of established diplomatic norms contained in that statement.
In this context, the French chargé d’affaires was informed that the statement was unacceptable, both in form and substance. It presented a misleading and biased account of the facts and directly addressed Algerian public opinion in an attempt to place exclusive and full blame on the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the non-accreditation of French diplomatic and consular agents in Algeria.
In terms of form, this action by the embassy is intolerable, as it violates both the spirit and the letter of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
In terms of substance, the French diplomat was reminded that he is personally well aware of the background and precise details of the matter.
The truth is that the non-accreditation of French diplomatic and consular agents in Algeria came in response to a similar French decision, after all avenues initiated by the Algerian side to resolve the dispute amicably had been exhausted. This is simply a strict application of the principle of reciprocity, nothing more, nothing less.
It was the French authorities who, more than two years ago, began refusing to accredit Algerian consular heads and consular agents in France. As a result, three Algerian Consuls General and six consuls have not received the required accreditations, despite having submitted their requests more than six months ago. Similarly, 46 Algerian diplomatic and consular agents have been unable to take up their posts in France due to the French authorities’ disregard for their accreditation requests.
This situation, deliberately and strategically created by the French authorities, has caused serious harm to Algerian nationals residing in France. It has negatively impacted the consular services provided to them and weakened the quality of consular protection that must be ensured.
In conclusion, the French diplomat was firmly reminded that the visa issue is not solely linked to accreditation matters, and that it is now widely recognized that his government has turned this issue into a central pressure tool within a “iron fist” policy aimed at Algeria.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes that the French government continues to pursue a policy of blackmail regarding visas. The first phase of this policy ended with Algeria’s decision to terminate the 2013 Algerian-French agreement on mutual visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and service passports. Today, the French authorities are opening a second phase of this policy, targeting holders of ordinary passports managed through tactics of blackmail, bargaining, and pressure.