French President Emmanuel Macron has asked his government to tighten visa requirements on Algerian diplomats as a dispute about deportation of Algerian nationals escalates.
Macron wants to suspend a 2013 agreement that exempted diplomatic and official passport holders from visa requirements, and a letter to his Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot was seen by Reuters.
Macron said the growing difficulties France is encountering in terms of migration and security with Algeria required a tougher stance against the former French colony.
The move comes amid deteriorating ties between Paris and Algiers, which have worsened since France recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara in July 2024, and further escalated after Algeria detained a Franco-Algerian author and refused to take back Algerian citizens ordered to leave France.
