Spain and Algeria have maintained diplomatic relations since the independence of the North African country, on July 3, 1962. In recent years, relations have intensified notably with several visits by Spanish authorities to Algiers.
Spain consider to Algeria a “very reliable” and “strategic” partner, and relations between the two countries have intensified in recent months, marked by the Sahara issue and the Algerian gas trade, a key raw material for Spanish and European industry, more even after the war in Ukraine.
Last Friday, March 18, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, told King Mohamed VI that Spain considers the proposal for autonomy presented by Morocco in 2007 for Western Sahara as “the most serious, credible and realistic basis for the resolution of this dispute”, in a letter released by the Moroccan Royal Cabinet through a statement. This issue has again generated a crisis among the government partners, since Podemos does not support the decision, and has also caused a barrage of criticism among the rest of the groups,
Spain and Algeria have maintained diplomatic relations since the independence of the North African country, on July 3, 1962. The Spanish-Algerian relationship affects all areas, despite registering some minor diplomatic incidents regarding fishing, and official contacts were intensified .
Just two weeks ago, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the President of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, showed their willingness to strengthen energy cooperation, after a telephone call, in which the Spanish president thanked Algeria for being “a partner reliable energy source”, as reported by the Presidency of the Algerian Republic.
Bahim Ghali
Between April and May 2021, Algeria was affected by the dispute that broke out between Spain and Morocco after the leader of the Polisario Front, Bahim Ghali, a resident of the camps in the Algerian city of Tindouf, was transferred to Logroño suffering from coronavirus in an Algerian medicalized plane.
Although Ghali’s trip seriously strained relations between Madrid and Rabat, Algeria welcomed the Spanish humanitarian gesture to the leader of the Polisario Front, who was finally able to recover and return to Tindouf.
Gas supply
In recent years, relations between Algeria and Spain have intensified notably with several visits by Spanish authorities to Algiers. On October 7, 2020, President Pedro Sánchez made an official visit to Algeria and his agenda included migration, security and the fight against terrorism, as well as energy.
In August 2021, after serious tensions and border clashes, Algiers broke off diplomatic relations with Rabat, a decision that had a major impact on the supply of Algerian gas to Europe due to Algeria’s decision to close the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline through Morocco. . The decision forced Spain to seek supply guarantees through the second gas pipeline that it maintains with Algeria (Medgaz).
In September 2021, the Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, traveled to Algiers and the Algerian authorities confirmed the continuity of the gas supply to Spain through that second gas pipeline.
In this same framework, the Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, paid a visit to the North African country on October 27, 2021, days before the contract for the supply of gas through the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline (GME) expired.
Source: Eitb
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