Algeria expressed strong disapproval on Thursday over what it called a “deeply concerning” decision by French authorities to bar its diplomats from entering restricted areas at Paris airports to handle diplomatic bags, vowing to impose reciprocal measures immediately.

In a statement carried by Algeria’s official news agency, the Foreign Ministry said it was “greatly surprised” by France’s action, which obstructed its embassy’s operations in violation of diplomatic norms.

“In response, the chargé d’affaires of the French Embassy in Algiers was summoned on Thursday to the Foreign Ministry to provide clarifications,” the statement said. Algeria’s acting envoy in Paris also contacted officials at the French Foreign Ministry.

The Algerian ministry said it was informed that the restriction had been imposed by France’s Interior Ministry without the knowledge of the Foreign Ministry – a move it criticised as lacking transparency and violating established diplomatic protocol.

Principle of reciprocity

The ministry stressed that the restriction breaches the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which guarantees a diplomatic mission’s right to dispatch staff to receive its diplomatic bags “directly and freely from the captain of the aircraft.”

Algeria said it will “strictly and immediately” implement the principle of reciprocity and warned that it reserves the right to pursue all legal avenues, including bringing the matter before the UN.

The dispute marks a new escalation in what has become the most serious diplomatic rift between the two countries since Algeria’s independence from France in 1962.

Both nations downgraded diplomatic representation to the level of chargé d’affaires in July 2024.