Algeria Rebukes France’s Airport Ban on Diplomats, Vows Swift Response
(MENAFN) Algeria voiced sharp criticism on Thursday against a “deeply concerning” move by French authorities to prevent its diplomats from accessing restricted zones at Paris airports for handling diplomatic shipments. The North African nation pledged to enact reciprocal measures without delay.
According to a statement published by Algeria’s official news agency, the Foreign Ministry expressed being “greatly surprised” by France’s directive, which it said hindered the embassy’s functions and violated diplomatic conventions.
“In response, the chargé d’affaires of the French Embassy in Algiers was summoned Thursday to the Foreign Ministry to provide clarifications,” the statement said. Additionally, Algeria’s acting envoy in Paris engaged with officials from the French Foreign Ministry.
The Algerian ministry revealed that the Interior Ministry in France had imposed the restriction without informing the Foreign Ministry, condemning the lack of transparency and breach of established diplomatic protocols.
Highlighting international law, the ministry emphasized that the measure contravenes the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which guarantees diplomatic missions the right to send personnel to collect its diplomatic bags “directly and freely from the captain of the aircraft.”
Algeria declared it would “strictly and immediately” apply the principle of reciprocity and cautioned that it reserves the right to pursue all legal channels, including raising the issue before the United Nations.
This development intensifies a diplomatic crisis between Algeria and France, the most severe since Algeria gained independence in 1962.
The two countries downgraded their diplomatic ties to chargé d’affaires level in July 2024 following France’s official support for Morocco’s autonomy plan regarding Western Sahara—a stance Algeria vehemently opposes.
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