Paris Accuses Algiers of Blocking Bilateral Relations
Paris Accuses Algiers of Blocking Bilateral Relations
"It is the responsibility of the Algerian authorities," stated the French FM.
Jean-Noël Barrot emphasized that the French ambassador to Algiers, recalled in mid-April, remains in Paris. He also referenced Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who was sentenced in Algeria to five years in prison without parole for undermining national unity.
Renewed tensions between the two countries followed the arrest of an Algerian consular officer by French authorities in April. This sparked outrage in Algeria, prompting retaliation: the expulsion of twelve French diplomats. Algeria denounced the "negative, distressing, and persistent" attitude of the French Interior Minister.
For Algiers , Bruno Retailleau, the French Minister of the Interior,—acting "for purely personal reasons"—is responsible for the new escalation, despite de-escalation having already begun after a phone call between the French and Algerian presidents at the end of March.
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
