BY: Dr. Hana Saada
Diplomatic tensions escalate as Algeria prepares strong countermeasures against France’s targeted restrictions on its diplomatic premises in Paris.
Algiers, Algeria | April 30th, 2025 — Algerian-French relations have entered a critical diplomatic juncture following another provocative move by Paris that violated the diplomatic immunity of the Algerian mission in France—an act seen as a breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
In a new episode of what Algerian observers have described as ongoing French provocations, Christophe Formentin, the Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine and Vice President of the Hauts-de-Seine Departmental Council, took the unilateral decision to remove the parking spaces designated for Algerian diplomatic vehicles near the ambassador’s residence in Neuilly-sur-Seine. The site is officially considered an extension of the Algerian Embassy and is therefore protected under international diplomatic law.
The mayor’s actions did not stop there. He also imposed an annual municipal tax of €11,700 on the Algerian diplomatic mission for the security cabin (la guérite de sécurité) placed outside the residence—another move viewed by Algiers as a deliberate provocation.
According to an Algerian source closely following the case, Algeria is prepared to respond. The source stated that Algiers may reassess the rental conditions of French diplomatic properties in Algeria, possibly reducing the size of the French ambassador’s residence and the embassy itself in a direct application of the principle of reciprocity—a longstanding foundation of Algerian diplomatic conduct.
The same source confirmed that Algeria could reduce the French ambassador’s residence area in Algiers, located in the upscale district of “Les Oliviers,” from its current 4 hectares to just 1 hectare. Furthermore, the French Embassy’s land, which spans 14 hectares, could be downsized to 2 hectares. Algiers also reserves the right to update rental fees, which may rise to several million euros annually.
This follows a diplomatic escalation in mid-March, when Algeria summoned the French ambassador to discuss the properties France uses in Algeria—many of which are rented at nominal rates. Reports revealed that France currently occupies 61 properties on Algerian soil at extremely low rents, including the vast French Embassy site in Algiers, which covers 14 hectares, and the ambassador’s 4-hectare residence—both rented at symbolic rates that have remained unchanged since Algeria’s independence in 1962 until at least August 2023.
