“We are completely paralyzed,” explains the general manager of one of the companies exporting products from Turkey. Spain a Algeria. Since the Algerian government this Wednesday decided to suspend the friendship treaty with Spain and freeze its banking operations. foreign trade Spanish companies remained in control. For now, they say “there is no short-term solution”.
Algeria’s first economic retaliation after a three-month hiatus. diplomatic crisis with Spain. The trigger for the dispute was the Spanish Government’s support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara. change of position moncloa This marked the end of the crisis with Morocco, but the beginning of a new diplomatic dispute with its other major Maghreb partner.
“The situation is a complete blockade, we are unable to work for now, and the ports are full of containers that will not leave,” he complains. Philippe Alitti, chemical distribution general manager of PMS company, which has forty years of experience in exporting from Spain and other countries to Algeria. “We haven’t been able to do it since Thursday. export “We don’t get invoices from a Spanish company and we can’t use a Spanish port because it looks like a service and that’s not possible,” he argues.
Currently, many Business He said that they are trying to send these containers back to their countries at the costs required by this. The only remaining option is whether they can export their Spanish products from a port in another country through a non-Spanish company. “Over time, solutions could be found, but what do they mean? additional cost” defends the person responsible for PMS. They also fear that Algerian customs may directly cause problems for the entry of Spanish products, even through a company based in another country.
The manager of PMS company explains that they are working with PMS. hydrocarbons Algeria and you export chemical products necessary for the extraction of oil. “Some of these products are produced in Algeria, but the vast majority, especially more specific products, need to be imported, so this blockade may also affect the country’s main sector,” explains Alitti.
“Predictable” answer
anger Algeria President of the Spanish Government Pedro Sánchez three months ago, King of Morocco VI. At first, Algeria withdrew its ambassador in Madrid, but it took a long time for the deal and trade reprisals to be suspended. Sánchez’s final words to Congress in defense of Morocco’s proposal for autonomy for the Sahara explain that it is the definitive step for Algeria to react. Raphael BustsProfessor of international relations at the Complutense University of Madrid.
“Algeria has been quite cautious over time, the bilateral decision to suspend the main instrument. partnership Bustos came at a time when the government confirmed that it would not back down and even reaffirmed itself in its support of the Moroccan theses. “Algeria’s measure was foreseeable, suspending such an agreement is a legal tool used by many countries to show their discontent,” said the expert in the neighboring country.
“Algeria has always been difficult to work in, it is a country where legal stability is scarce,” said Alitti, adding that the bureaucratic procedures for exporting products have been very difficult and slow in recent years. Now they wait and believe that a solution will be found. “The terms ‘suspend’ and ‘freeze’ in use for now leave little hope that there is nothing definitive in that,” he explains. It also requires the participation of the parties. European Union“Other European countries may also be affected in the future because they have a similar position to Spain in Western Sahara, for example Germany,” he concludes.