Algeria Condemns Spanish Foreign Minister’s Remarks on Western Sahara Dispute

"The offensive remarks made by Minister Albares in response to the statement by the President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune are lamentable and totally unacceptable," reacted Amar Belani, Special Envoy in charge of the Western Sahara and the Maghreb countries to TSA. According to him, these remarks "will certainly not contribute to a rapid return to normal in bilateral relations and the Spanish minister will have to assume the consequences."

The Algerian diplomat also claims that the Spanish Foreign Minister tried to backtrack on his remarks, but to no avail. "His ministry may be canvassing the Spanish press to try to rectify the situation, but we have the audio recording that confirms that the minister has indeed made offensive remarks that are the antithesis of protocol correctness and propriety," he said.

On Saturday, the Algerian president had, in an interview with two Algerian media, lambasted the behavior of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez who changed his country’s position on the Sahara. "We have very strong ties with the Spanish state but the head of government (Pedro Sanchez, ed.) has broken everything," he had said. Spanish diplomacy did not fail to react to these remarks. "I’m not going to fuel sterile controversies but Spain has made a sovereign decision within the framework of international law and there is nothing else to add," José Manuel Albares, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation, said on Monday during his appearance on the Onda Cero radio station.