Algeria suspends relations with French senate over controversial visit to disputed territory

On February 27, Algeria's Council of the Nation announced the immediate suspension of relations with the French Senate, including the 2015 parliamentary cooperation protocol following a visit by its speaker to the disputed Western Sahara region.

Thus, on February 24, president of the French Senate Gérard Larcher visited Laâyoune, a city claimed by both Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Caliber.Az reports per Algerian media.

The visit was denounced by Algeria as an "unacceptable act" that "disregards international legitimacy" and "contradicts the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council" regarding human rights and the self-determination of colonised peoples.

“In a troubling and extreme shift that reflects the rise of the far-right in France and its increasing influence over the country’s political landscape and decisions, the president of the French Senate recently visited the occupied city of Laâyoune in the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. This unacceptable act not only disregards international legitimacy but also starkly contradicts the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council—of which France is a permanent member—that are intended to uphold human rights and the right of colonized peoples to self-determination, rather than attempting to undermine, erase, annul, or deny these rights,” said the statement from the Council of the Nation’s office.

“The Council of the Nation’s office, while strongly condemning this visit and its justifications and objectives, categorically rejects it as a blatant defiance and a scandalous bias, aligning itself with colonial policies and hostile makhzenian theses against international legitimacy and UN charters,” the statement continued.

The suspension of relations follows a condemnation of what Algeria described as a “provocative, and ostentatious visit” and holds the French Senate accountable for the repercussions.

“Consequently, holding the French side responsible for the repercussions of this irresponsible, provocative, and ostentatious visit, the Council of the Nation’s office, under the leadership of Mr. Salah Goudjil, hereby announces the immediate suspension of its relations with the Senate of the French Republic, including the parliamentary cooperation protocol signed between the two chambers on September 8, 2015.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev