The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Community Abroad announced, via a press release, released on Saturday January 11, 2025, exceptional measures in favor of the Algerian community abroad.
The decision aims to facilitate entry procedures for members of the Algerian community and their return to their places of residence abroad.
The press release specifies that members of the Algerian community residing abroad are authorized to enter and leave Algeria exceptionally and without prior visa, until December 31, provided that they undertake to use the same documents that are in their possession, upon their entry into Algeria.
To benefit from these facilitations, expatriates must present a valid foreign passport accompanied by the national biometric electronic identity card, even if it is expired, or a valid foreign passport accompanied by the card. national biometric electronic identity. They can still present a biometric Algerian passport, even if it has expired.
This decision, which, specifies the Algerian MAE, “is part of the directives of the President of the Republic, who pays particular attention to meeting the needs of members of the national community residing abroad” is announced in the in the wake of the failed expulsion of the Algerian national to Algeria. This expulsion procedure came following an administrative order taken by the French authorities against the fifty-year-old Algerian for the offense of propagating calls for terrorism and the murder of opponents of the Algerian regime via social networks.
These new provisions, the validity of which is limited in time, can be seen as a gesture of goodwill in favor of Algerians abroad. Especially since they respond to a request expressed for a long time but which remained unanswered for a long time.
Hence the question raised by the choice of timing for the announcement of these facilitations which comes in the context of the diplomatic incident with France.
The chronological link between the two events is easy to establish. As for the underlying motivations for the measures decided by Tebboune, they are to be found in the diplomatic response that Algeria intends to give to the forced but unsuccessful return of their national to their territory, following an administrative decision by the French authorities.
A response outlined, moreover, in broad strokes, in the press release released last Saturday afternoon by the department of Minister of State Ahmed Attaf in response to the declarations of the French Ministers of the Interior and Foreign Affairs .
By declaring that it wants to facilitate administrative procedures for its citizens residing abroad, Algeria wants to show that it is concerned about the well-being of its diaspora, while reminding France of the importance of respecting the rights of its nationals. . This communication is a cautery on a wooden leg and the expatriates are not looking for these measures with no future but serious measures for all Algerians. Like the creation of an Algerian bank in France, better support in consulates, plane ticket prices that are like those of the neighbors and not prohibitive…
Clearly, Algeria remains faithful to its posture of mistrust in its more rotten relations than ever with France.
Obviously, de-escalation and the search for appeasement are not on the agenda on the southern shore of the Mediterranean.
The editorial staff
