Algeria took the first step normalization of diplomatic relations with Spain. Algeria has decided to have an ambassador in Madrid again, 19 months after withdrawing its previous one as punishment for its support for Morocco in Pedro Sánchez’s plan to take over Western Sahara in exchange for autonomy for the disputed territory. Algeria is Morocco’s rival and supports and hosts Rabat’s enemy, the Polisario Front.
The manager of Abdelmadjid Tebboune requested the approval of Spain (approval from the receiving country). Abdelfetah Daghmoum According to El Confidencial, he will be the head of the Maghreb country’s next delegation to Spain. Daghmoum will thus take its place Moses said: former ambassador. VI of the Royal House of Morocco, the Spanish president. Consultations were called after he published a copy of the letter he sent to Mohammed in which he argued that the Moroccan autonomy plan was “the most serious, credible and realistic basis” for solving the problem. Sahara conflict.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not want to confirm the news to this newspaper and the Algerian Embassy did not respond to calls. Diplomatic sources remind this The country that appoints the ambassador usually decides whether to accept the agreement., in this case Algeria. There is no guarantee that the agreement will be accepted, and in some cases it has been rejected. There is also no maximum deadline to respond.
Location in Gaza
No public statement has been made, directly or indirectly, as to the reasons why the Algerian Government has now decided to terminate relations. A year and a half of relative silence has passed between the parties since Tebboune in June 2022 ordered the suspension of the Treaty of Friendship between the two countries and the freezing of some trade with Spain.
“I think Spain’s stance on Israel and Palestine is very appreciated in Algeria, unlike in many European countries,” he said in a meeting with this newspaper. Yahia H. Zoubir, He is an Algeria expert and senior fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs in Doha and a scholar at Fudan University in Shanghai. Palestine’s struggle against Israeli occupation is an issue that concerns Algeria’s domestic politics.
Pedro Sánchez, unlike his peers Germany, England or FranceHe did not visit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed more than 1,400 people and the subsequent intense Israeli bombardment of Gaza that killed more than 10,000 people.
The President of the Spanish Government acted in line with the arguments defended by the High Representative for EU foreign policy, Josep Borrell, United Nations Secretary, Antonio Guterres and the President of the Council, Charles Michelamong others: Condemns Hamas attacks, but also calls for restraint in Israel’s response and respect for international law.
Sánchez at the UN
“Also Sánchez’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly [el pasado mes de septiembre] The expert says it is much more balanced than it was two years ago. Sánchez argued before the UN that “a political solution and resolution that is acceptable to both parties must be found.” within the framework of the United Nations Charter and the decisions of the Security Council.” He made no mention of the change in Spanish attitude reflected in the letter, in which the neutrality of the last half century was abandoned in favor of one of the solutions (the solution advocated by Rabat).
“There were contacts between the two parties in New York in September” According to Europa Press, Djamel Eddin Buabdala, head of the Algerian-Spanish Department of Trade and Industry, assures the Algerian media ‘Tout sur l’Algérie’ on the margins of the UN General Assembly, then “about the gradual return of relations between Algeria and Spain There was an agreement.”
The United Nations Security Council also recently (on October 30) approved resolution 2602, which extended the mandate of the UN. Organization’s Mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO) one more year. This group is led by Guterres’ personal envoy, Staffan de Mistura, who has recently been able to travel to Morocco and Algeria, as well as to occupied Western Sahara and to refugee camps in Tindouf (Algeria), where the Polisario Front, representative of the Sahrawi people, is based. is located.
The embryonic thaw in relations comes just days before Sánchez is expected to renew his position. If he finally manages to be sworn in as president, Algeria must face a new legislature When the socialists were in power.
More than 1 billion 600 million losses
The diplomatic crisis between Algeria and Madrid over Western Sahara caused a decrease in trade with the Maghreb country. fell to the lowest levels in history. This amounted to a multimillion-dollar blow to the Spanish trade balance and to many national companies whose largest foreign markets were in Algeria.
On June 9, 2022, the Government of Algeria ordered the freezing of direct debits regarding payments for products imported from Spain. Change of location in Western Sahara. The trade boycott led to an 89% drop in Spanish exports to the country within a year.
Between June 2022 and June 2023 Spain exported only 205 million euros compared to 1,844 million euros reached in the same period According to the records of the Spanish Minister of Commerce, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Industry, it belongs to previous years.
Caused diplomatic conflict Loss of 1 billion 640 million euros Sales volume to the Maghreb country in a year. And this is in a context where all Spanish exports have reached historic heights and become one of the engines of the revival of the national economy.
Some companies have organized among themselves and are asserting ownership claims. In this context, according to this newspaper, the Government is preparing a compensatory public aid package after receiving the green light from Brussels. The Ministry of Industry had no response when contacted at the close of this article. Validity, amount and application of this aidor whether the diplomatic approach resolves import and export operations.
“I think commercial reasons and pressure from business groups convinced Sánchez of his new style, especially After seeing the agreements the Italians made with the Algerians“says Zoubir.
Time will tell how quickly bilateral trade relations between Spain and Algeria are re-established. Currently on October 30th Flights to Palma de Mallorca with Air Algérie, state airline. The frequency of Iberia flights between Madrid and Algiers has also been increased, and the Vueling flight between Barcelona and Oran has reportedly been cancelled, Europa Press reported.