Algeria has said it is severing diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, saying it had exhausted "all means" to preserve bilateral ties.
The foreign ministry, in a statement carried by the official Algeria Press Service (APS) on Thursday, said Algiers exercised “a high degree of restraint” and “a strong sense of responsibility” in response to increasingly “provocative or hostile actions” by the UAE.
It added that the UAE ambassador was officially notified of the decision and has been given 48 hours to comply with the decision.
“Algeria spared no effort, in a spirit of full respect for the principles governing relations between states, to draw the UAE side’s attention and warn it of the serious consequences that could result from its regrettable and unjustified conduct,” the statement said.
“Despite these repeated warnings, the UAE continued with these actions, which reached a point where they could no longer be considered acceptable or tolerable within relations between two sovereign states or left without a response.”
“After exhausting all avenues to preserve bilateral relations, the Algerian government decided today to sever diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates,” the ministry said.
The UAE did not immediately comment on Algeria's decision.
In October last year, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said his country's relations with all Gulf states were warm except for one country, in a thinly veiled reference to the UAE.
He cited relations with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar as "brotherly".
At the time, Tebboune said a diplomatic break "would have happened long ago" had Algeria not sought to avoid "deepening divisions" in the Arab world.
