Foreign Ministry Summons The French Ambassador to Algeria

On Wednesday, the General Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chakib Kaid, summoned the French ambassador to Algeria to notify him of Algeria’s protest against his country’s decision to reduce the number of visas granted to Algerians, the Foreign Ministry said.

Algeria’s Foreign Ministry stated that the step taken by Algeria is due to the French authorities’ decision to reduce visas granted to Algerians without prior consultation with the Algerian side.

“The decision is incompatible with respect for human rights and the obligations undertaken by the two governments”, the Foreign Ministry’s statement added.

On Tuesday, Algeria officially responded to the decision of the French authorities to tighten visa procedures for Algerians, describing these procedures as inconsistent.

“We have noted this inconsistent decision, and we express our regret over this decision,” said Amar Belani, the special envoy of the Algerian Foreign Ministry, in charge of the issue of Western Sahara and the Maghreb countries.