Algeria has begun the process of terminating its air services agreement with the United Arab Emirates, state media reported on Saturday. The pact, signed in Abu Dhabi in May 2013 and ratified by a presidential decree on 30 December 2014, will be formally ended after diplomatic notification to the UAE, Algerian state-owned radio said, citing Article 22 of the agreement. 

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will also be notified to carry out the necessary procedures.

No immediate response was available from the UAE, Reuters reported.

The announcement follows mounting tensions between the two countries. Algerian media outlets have recently criticised the UAE, accusing it of attempting to sow regional discord. In October last year, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said Algeria maintained “brotherly” relations with Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar, while indirectly singling out the UAE. He accused the country of interfering in Algeria’s internal affairs and seeking to destabilise the nation.