Algeria Cancels Spanish Foreign Minister’s Visit Over Western Sahara Dispute

According to Spanish official sources, Albares’ trip had been postponed for scheduling reasons on the Algerian side. But indiscretions reveal that Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune would have refused to receive the head of Spanish diplomacy who did not mark his willingness to discuss regional issues such as the Sahara, the Sahel, Libya or the Gaza war. The information seems to be verified, according to El Confidencial which specifies that the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had proposed to publish a joint communiqué after the visit, which would have taken up the remarks of Pedro Sanchez on the Sahara issue, made on September 20 before the UN General Assembly.

"Spain is in favor of a mutually acceptable political solution, within the framework of the United Nations Charter and Security Council resolutions...", the Spanish Prime Minister had said in substance. But Minister Albares rejected this proposal from the department of Ahmed Attaf. During a visit to Rabat on February 21, Sánchez reiterated his support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara and went further by congratulating Mohammed VI for his royal initiative aimed at facilitating access to the Atlantic Ocean for the Sahel countries, as well as for his gas pipeline project with Nigeria.

The Algerian authorities also rejected the request of Minister Albares who wanted to know in advance the answers prepared by his Algerian counterpart for the joint press conference they were to co-host at the end of the visit. Moreover, since President Tebboune refused to receive Albares, he asked his Prime Minister, Nadir Larbaoui, to replace him. But the Spanish minister’s proposal did not meet with approval. Faced with these differences, the Algerian Foreign Minister finally decided to cancel Albares’ visit.

The cancellation of this visit was a blow to Spanish businessmen who have been suffering the effects of the suspension of trade exchanges by Algeria since June 2022, in reaction to Spain’s change of position on the Sahara. In recent weeks, the Algerian authorities have authorized the import of certain Spanish products such as red meat, poultry and eggs. The cancellation will also have an impact on migration cooperation between the two countries. The arrival of Algerian migrants on the Canary Islands has decreased between April 2022 and 2023.