Algeria said on Monday that it had formally enforced its decision to cancel a bilateral agreement with France that allowed visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic and service passports.

The Foreign Ministry said the measure took effect with its publication in the Official Gazette, noting that the French Embassy in Algiers had already been notified in early August.

“The government has informed its French counterpart that nationals holding diplomatic passports will now be required to obtain visas,” the ministry said.

The announcement came after French President Emmanuel Macron called on his government to take a tougher line with Algeria and suspended the 2013 deal, which had expanded a 2007 agreement covering only diplomatic passports.

Strained diplomatic relations

Algeria reacted by stressing that it had never sought such an arrangement, accusing France of “pushing for it on several occasions.” The ministry said Paris’ move “gave Algeria the opportunity to revoke the agreement clearly and without ambiguity.”

Diplomatic ties between the two countries have been strained for months. In July, both downgraded their representation to chargé d’affaires level.