France's Foreign Minister on Tuesday criticised Algeria's decision to expel 12 French officials in an escalating dispute that has seen French authorities arrest an Algerian consular official over an alleged abduction case.
French minister Jean-Noel Barrot called Algeria's move "regrettable" and warned of consequences. "If Algeria chooses escalation, we will respond with the greatest firmness," he said.
For decades, ties between France and Algeria have experienced diplomatic upheavals and the latest row comes at a delicate time in their relations.
On Friday, French prosecutors indicted three Algerians, including a consular official, on suspicion of involvement in the 2024 abduction of an opponent of the Algerian government, Amir Boukhors.
Mr Boukhors, known as "Amir DZ", has more than a million followers on social media platform TikTok.
The three men, who are also being prosecuted for "terrorist" conspiracy, have been placed in pre-trial detention.
Algeria on Monday defended its "sovereign" decision to expel the 12 French officials and blamed French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau for the resurgence of tension between the two countries. It called the arrest of its consular official in France "ostentatious".
Mr Retailleau "bears full responsibility for the turn taken by relations between Algeria and France at a time when they had just begun a phase of easing", the Algerian Foreign Ministry said.
It warned that "any further offensive action by the French Interior Minister will receive, on the basis of reciprocity, a firm and adequate response".
The 12 French officials were given 48 hours to leave Algeria, according to the French Foreign Ministry.
The two countries have been attempting to mend fences after months of frayed relations that brought them to the brink of a diplomatic breakdown.
Earlier this month, Mr Barrot visited Algeria and met Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. Mr Barrot said both countries wanted to "rebuild a partnership of equals".
Relations came under strain last year when France recognised Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara region, where Algeria has long backed the pro-independence Polisario Front.
Ties soured further when Algeria arrested the French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in November on national security charges, after he told a French far-right media outlet that Morocco's territory was truncated in favour of Algeria during French colonial rule.
