ALGIERS,— Algeria has started the process of ending its air services agreement with the United Arab Emirates, the country’s official broadcaster said on Saturday.

The deal was first signed in Abu Dhabi on May 13, 2013, before being ratified by an Algerian presidential decree on December 30, 2014.

The state-owned radio station announced that government authorities are now moving forward with procedures to cancel the agreement.

According to the report, the steps are based on Article 22 of the treaty, which outlines how either side can withdraw from the deal.

Under that article, Algeria must formally notify the UAE through diplomatic channels that it intends to terminate the agreement.

The same clause also requires Algeria to inform the Secretary-General of the International Civil Aviation Organization so that the matter can be handled within the organization’s official framework.

No explanation for the decision was given by state media, and no additional comments were provided by Algerian officials. The UAE did not immediately respond, and there was no public statement from Abu Dhabi following the announcement.

In recent months, several Algerian news outlets have sharply criticized the UAE, accusing it of attempting to create regional discord. These media reports have repeatedly questioned the role of the Emirati government in North African and Middle Eastern politics.

In October last year, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune addressed Algeria’s ties with Gulf countries in a public speech. He described relations with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar as friendly and brotherly.

However, he pointedly said that relations with one unnamed Gulf state were different. According to Tebboune, that country had meddled in Algeria’s internal affairs and tried to destabilize it. State media later told us that he did not mention the UAE by name, but his remarks were widely seen as referring to it.

The president made these comments while discussing Algeria’s foreign policy, but he did not provide further details about specific actions taken by the unnamed country.

(With files from Reuters)

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