French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday that he would restrict other countries from sending imams and Islamic teachers to France in what he said is an attempt to prevent “separatism.”

Macron said he would gradually put a stop to the practice in which foreign countries, including Algeria, Morocco and Turkey, deploy imams to France to preach in mosques.

“This end to the consular Islam system is extremely important to curb foreign influence and make sure everybody respects the laws of the republic,” Macron said in a news conference during his visit to the eastern city of Mulhouse.

France currently has agreements with nine countries whereby their governments can send teachers to French schools to teach students originally from these countries on culture and language, without any supervision from French authorities.

Macron said France instead will establish bilateral agreements with other countries to allow French authorities to have control over the courses and their content starting in September.

He added that a new law is being drafted to allow for transparency in how mosques are financed.“Mosques financed with transparency with imams trained in France and respectful of the Republican values and principles, that’s how we will create the conditions so that Muslims in France can freely practice their religion,” Macron said.The only country with which France didn’t reach an agreement on the new measures was Turkey.