Surprisingly, bilateral relations between the two countries have once again returned to the starting point of last week and are once again going through a complicated moment. As the French Foreign Minister’s visit to Algeria last week testified, diplomatic relations were not the best.
Tensions of recent months had, in fact, created several problems for the two countries, which are also extremely linked: according to the French authorities, about 10 percent of France’s 68.6 million inhabitants have ties with Algeria and there are 6 thousand French companies based in the country.
Among other things, we should not forget the interruption of cooperation between the intelligence services of the two nations in the fight against terrorism in the African region of the Sahel, the decrease in the trade in French grain in Algeria and finally the ever-unwillingness of the Algerian government to accept the expulsion of its citizens from France.
It should also not be forgotten that the already complex relations between France and Algeria had experienced unprecedented developments since July 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron had in fact recognized the autonomy plan for Western Sahara and had supported Morocco’s sovereignty over the region, declaring that “it constitutes a just, lasting and negotiated proposal”. Immediately afterwards, Algeria reacted by recalling its ambassador to Paris and suspending indefinitely all cooperation (diplomatic, legal or security).
THE ATTEMPT OF “RECONSTRUCTION”
Despite all this, in all this situation of diplomatic tensions, in the end, strong margins of collaboration were found in many areas that could have led to a gradual stability between the two nations.
As French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot declared, relations between France and Algeria, which were going through the worst diplomatic crisis in their recent history, were returning “to normal”.
Barrot, in his speech, dealt with all the problems described and explained how it would be possible to deal with them in order to fix the complex situation between France and Algeria. In particular, he focused his attention on the expulsion of Algerian citizens.
Even now, the expulsion of Algerian citizens who have committed crimes or seek asylum in France is a very sensitive issue for Emmanuel Macron and the French government, which in recent years have had to tighten migration policies to try to recover the consensus lost to the main French far-right party, the Rassemblement National.
On the other hand, because of these tensions, Algeria had lost its main ally within the European Union at a delicate time: in February, for the first time, the Union had opened up to the possibility of revising the Association Agreement with Algeria, which entered into force in 2005 and was much criticized by the Algerian government.
THE RETURN OF THE FRANCO-ALGERIAN COLD WAR
Everything in the end seemed that it could lead to a thawing of diplomatic relations between the two rivals, but in the end everything changed.
Tensions between Algeria and France have resurfaced after the arrest of an Algerian consular official, with Algiers officially protesting and demanding respect for diplomatic immunities.
This event, which occurred not many hours ago, triggered a strong reaction from the government in Algiers. The summons of the French ambassador to Algeria, Stéphane Romatet, represents an official protest and has once again brought to light the fragility of relations between the two countries, historically marked by conflicts and controversies.
This episode highlights how current events have been able to rekindle latent tensions, further complicating a dialogue that was already difficult as one could imagine by reading so far.
The arrest of the Algerian diplomat in France took place as part of a judicial investigation linked to the kidnapping of influencer Amir Boukhors, known as “Amir Dz”, which took place in 2024.
The French authorities justified the pre-trial detention with alleged links of the official with subversive activities. However, the Algerian Foreign Ministry denounced that the arrest was carried out irregularly, on a public road and without prior notice to the diplomatic authorities, violating the immunities associated with the role of a diplomat. It is from all this that the already existing tensions between Algiers and Paris have been rekindled.
The reactions of the Algerian authorities
Algerian authorities have rejected the justifications provided by the anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office in Paris, calling them “weak and unconvincing”. Algerian public opinion has expressed indignation, stressing the importance of respecting international agreements and diplomatic customs.
Algiers has called for the immediate release of its diplomat, warning that failure to comply with this request could have serious repercussions on already fragile bilateral relations. Algerian authorities have also expressed strong fears that this “unprecedented development” could hinder progress made in improving relations between the two countries, which have experienced ups and downs over the years.
As mentioned before, the arrest, also explained in a note from the Algerian Foreign Ministry, took place as part of a French judicial investigation into alleged responsibility for the kidnapping of influencer Amir Boukhors, known as “Amir Dz”, in 2024. The Algerian authorities accuse this opponent of “belonging to a subversive network linked to terrorist organizations”.
Algiers, the note further informs, called the pre-trial detention measure “a serious violation of diplomatic immunities and privileges”, stressing that the arrest took place in public and without prior notice through diplomatic channels.
The Algerian authorities have categorically rejected the justifications provided by the French anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office, calling them “weak and unconvincing”, as they are based exclusively on the presence of the official’s phone near Boukhors’ residence.
The Algerian government has called for the immediate release of the diplomat and warned that this “unprecedented” development risks seriously compromising the process of relaunching bilateral relations with Paris.
The question therefore remains what will happen now. Is it impossible to mend diplomatic relations at this point? The answer is no; the way and the possibility would certainly be there and the elements for all this are not lacking.
International relations, however, are not simple, there are historical periods, the mistreatment of citizens of both nationalities, economic relations, defense and security of both states to be taken into consideration and they are certainly not easy to bring together.
It is clear, therefore, that for now the impasse between Paris and Algiers will remain, since both have no intention of giving in and Algiers will certainly respond to the arrest of one of its diplomats, therefore, it is sure that the dialogue for the near future will hardly be colloquial.
Edited by Tommaso Bernardini
Sources:
France and Algeria are trying to make peace – The Post
How Paris and Algiers can talk to each other again – Limes
La Ruota Dentata 
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