ALGIERS, April 15 (Xinhua) -- The Algerian Economic Renewal Council (CREA), the country's largest business organization, announced Tuesday the cancellation of its planned visit to France, blaming French authorities for blocking investments in Algeria.

In a statement, the council said the cancellation of the trip came "as a result of measures taken by French authorities, who strongly pressured a French maritime transport company to abandon its trip to Algeria to finalize an investment project."

According to the statement, the cancellation of the visit by the French company was "orchestrated" by French officials, which is "in stark contradiction to official statements calling for de-escalation and the normalization of Algerian-French relations."

Faced with the "inconsistent positions and negative signals" toward Algerian economic actors, the CREA deemed it "pointless to proceed with its scheduled visit" to France.

The cancellation comes amid heightened tensions between Algiers and Paris, following Algeria's decision on Monday to declare 12 employees of the French embassy "personae non gratae," ordering them to leave the country within 48 hours. The move was in response to the detention and legal prosecution of an Algerian consular employee in France. Enditem

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