In his conversation with ‘Sputnik,’ he added that France targeted only this category of Algerians, possibly to intimidate or attempt to topple him, according to his statement. Khrief believes that France will not escalate further and will not target the Algerian people, knowing that there are approximately 3 million Algerians in France, and any step against the people would have dire consequences in France. He ruled out the possibility of the community in France spontaneously and individually protesting or showing any anger since the conflict was limited to the Algerian regime and not the people.
The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an official statement on Thursday in response to the letter sent by French President Emmanuel Macron to his Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, as well as the clarifications provided by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs on August 7. The statement noted that the French message attempts to absolve France of its responsibilities and places the full blame on Algeria, according to the Algerian News Agency. The statement asserts that this interpretation is far from reality, pointing out that Algeria has clearly identified, through previous official statements, the party responsible for the escalation.
Algeria affirmed that its actions were a response to French actions, accusing France of breaching its bilateral and international commitments, including the Algerian-French agreements of 1968, 1974, and 2013, as well as the European Convention on Human Rights of 1950. Algeria clarified that it never initiated a request to exempt holders of diplomatic and mission passports from visas; rather, it was France that requested this. Algeria considered the policy of ‘visa-for-deportation’ to violate bilateral agreements and human rights, emphasizing its commitment to protecting its citizens in France and defending their rights under French and European laws. The statement explained that ‘France has refrained for over two years, including three general consuls and five consuls.’ Algeria confirmed that it ‘will respond with the same measures if France lifts these obstacles.’
