Algiers: Algeria expressed strong disapproval 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.

According to Anadolu Agency, Algeria's official news agency reported that the Foreign Ministry was 'greatly surprised' by France's action, which obstructed its embassy's operations in violation of diplomatic norms. In response, the charg© d'affaires of the French Embassy in Algiers was summoned to the Foreign Ministry for clarifications. Algeria's acting envoy in Paris also contacted officials at the French Foreign Ministry.

The Algerian ministry noted that the restriction had been imposed by France's Interior Ministry without the knowledge of the Foreign Ministry, criticizing the move as lacking transparency and violating established diplomatic protocol. The ministry emphasized that the restriction breaches the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which ensures a diplomatic mission's right to dispatch staff to receive its diplomatic bags 'directly and freely from the captain of the aircraft.'

Algeria announced 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. This dispute signifies 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 charg© d'affaires in July 2024 after Paris formally endorsed Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara, a position Algeria strongly opposes.