The Algerian government on Wednesday announced its decision to recall its ambassador to France for immediate consultation, reported The BBC.
The announcement was made in a communiqué released by the office of the Algerian presidency. The decision has been taken in the aftermath of reports that France helped and supported the French-Algerian activist Amira Bouraoui who is wanted by Algiers.
The 46-year-old Bouraoui was arrested in Tunisia on Friday and risked being deported to Algeria, but she boarded a flight to France on Monday evening.
The French-Algerian activist was sentenced in Algeria in May 2021 to two years in jail for offending Islam and for insulting the president. She has not been placed under arrest since then pending an appeal.
As per the statement, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered ambassador Said Moussi to be recalled with immediate effect.
The Algerian Foreign Ministry stated that it has conveyed its strong condemnation to the French Embassy in Algeria in an official note. It also emphasized the country’s rejection of the unacceptable and indefinable development, which adversely affects Algerian-French relations.
This is the second time that Algeria has recalled its Ambassador to France for consultation in fewer than two years. In October 2021, Algeria recalled its ambassador to France in protest over French President Emmanuel Macron’s critical remarks against Algeria.
The issue has come to light only a few weeks after the two countries showed signs of ongoing consultations to mend their historically strained diplomatic ties.
In August 2022, the two countries negotiated an increase in the delivery of Algerian gas to France.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is also scheduled to pay a state visit to France in May, in what is being considered a widening reconciliation between the two countries. French President Emmanuel Macron visited Algeria last August to ease tensions in relations with Algeria.
