Politics
Algerian media have in the past also strongly criticized the United Arab Emirates (UAE), accusing it of seeking to create divisions and instability in the region.
Algerian media have in the past also strongly criticized the United Arab Emirates (UAE), accusing it of seeking to create divisions and instability in the region. According to a statement issued by Algeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Algeria had exercised restraint and acted responsibly despite what it described as a continued escalation of provocative or hostile actions by the UAE, in the spirit of respecting the principles governing relations between states.
The statement said Algeria had repeatedly warned the Emirati side and informed it of the possible consequences of such actions. However, the UAE did not change its approach and continued taking measures that, according to Algeria, had reached an unacceptable and unjustifiable level. The Algerian Foreign Ministry said that, after exhausting all available means to preserve relations between the two countries, the government decided on September 10, 2026, to sever diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates.
According to Algeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UAE ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Thursday, September 10, where he was formally informed of Algeria’s decision to sever diplomatic ties with the UAE. The statement said the UAE ambassador was given 48 hours to leave Algeria. International news agencies have also confirmed the development, reporting that Algeria accused the UAE of provocative and hostile actions. However, no single specific incident was cited as the sole reason for severing diplomatic relations.
Another significant development has emerged amid the growing diplomatic crisis between Algeria and the United Arab Emirates. Arab media have reported that Algeria has decided to close its airspace to UAE-registered military and civilian aircraft effective September 11, 2026. According to the reports, the move comes amid severe tensions between the two countries. However, neither Algeria nor the UAE has so far issued a clear official statement confirming a complete closure of Algerian airspace to UAE aircraft.
The UAE, responding to Algeria’s decision to sever diplomatic ties, said it values its relations with all countries and remains committed to developing ties that serve the interests of their peoples. In a statement issued by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country said that despite Algeria’s decision to sever relations, the UAE remains committed to maintaining the fraternal ties between the two countries and promoting their shared interests.
According to the statement, the UAE values the people of Algeria and attaches importance to the historic and fraternal ties between the peoples of the two countries. The UAE Foreign Ministry particularly referred to Algerian citizens living in the UAE and the strong people-to-people links between the two nations, stressing the importance of protecting these relations and shared interests. According to Reuters, the UAE has expressed hope that Algeria’s decision to sever diplomatic ties will be temporary and that the fraternal relations between the two countries will eventually be restored.
Tensions between Algeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had been rising for some time. Last year, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune described Algeria’s relations with the Gulf countries as generally warm, saying that Algeria had fraternal ties with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. However, he accused one Gulf country of interfering in Algeria’s internal affairs and attempting to destabilize the country. Although President Tebboune did not name the country, his remarks were widely understood to be directed at the UAE.
Tensions between the two countries became more apparent in February this year, when Algeria began the process of terminating an air services agreement with the UAE that had been signed in Abu Dhabi in 2013. Algeria’s decision to completely sever diplomatic ties with the UAE is now being described as a significant development in the growing dispute between the two countries. According to France 24, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has repeatedly referred to the UAE as a “small state” in various speeches and accused it of seeking to destabilize several countries in the region. During a televised interview in July, President Tebboune also sharply criticized the UAE, saying, “Wherever they set foot, blood is shed.” He said the UAE had had an extremely negative impact on the region.
The Algerian president further said that Algeria wanted the UAE to stay out of its affairs so that bloodshed could be avoided in his country. According to President Tebboune, if Algeria had not tried to prevent further divisions and deepening disagreements in the Arab world, diplomatic relations between the two countries would have been severed much earlier. In the latest development, Algeria’s decision to sever diplomatic ties with the UAE is being seen as the culmination of months of escalating tensions between the two countries.
