Overview

• The French embassy in Algiers announced it will process fewer visa applications, citing degraded relations and the non‑arrival of essential expatriate personnel.
• Algeria’s Foreign Ministry summoned the French chargé d’affaires and condemned the move as unacceptable, accusing Paris of using blackmail, bargaining and intimidation.
• Algiers argues its refusal to accredit French staff is reciprocal, pointing to Paris’s two‑year hold on approving three consuls general, six consuls and 46 Algerian consular agents.
• Tensions intensified in late July with tit‑for‑tat restrictions on embassy access to reserved zones at airports and ports for transporting diplomatic bags.
• Further strain followed France’s mid‑August notice on suspending the 2013 visa‑exemption pact for diplomatic and service passports, and Algeria later moved to end free state property provided to the French mission after Macron urged a firmer line.