Algeria Signals Diplomatic Thaw with Spain Amid Sahara Dispute

In reaction to Spain’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune recalled his ambassador to Madrid, Saïd Moussi, on March 19, 2022. The position has remained vacant since then. Sources close to the Algerian authorities told El Confidencial that Tebboune plans to soon appoint a new ambassador to Madrid, in the person of Abdelfetah Daghmoum, former minister-counselor in Madrid and former Algerian ambassador to Guinea-Conakry.

"A return to normal is not a new idea, but the right time had to be found to do it. I understood that Sánchez’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly was conducive to sending an ambassador to Madrid," explains a former senior Algerian official, well aware of relations with Spain. To recall, on September 22 at the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York, Sánchez pleaded for the search for a "political and mutually acceptable" solution for the two parties to the Sahara conflict, "within the framework of the United Nations Charter and Security Council resolutions."

Likewise, Sánchez’s intervention on October 16 at the Tirana summit, in favor of the creation of a Palestinian state, was also welcomed by Algeria, one of the biggest supporters of the Palestinians and Hamas. But it is clear that the appointment of a new ambassador to Madrid will not be enough to end this long bilateral crisis with Spain, especially since Algeria has suspended its treaty of friendship and cooperation with Spain since June 8, 2022, effectively blocking trade exchanges with the country and excluding Spanish companies from public tenders.

However, Algeria has maintained its gas contract with Spain. At the end of September, Algerian gas imports accounted for 42.4% of Spain’s total imports. This is one of the recent signs of improvement in bilateral relations. Another sign, Algeria has authorized Vueling to resume its Barcelona-Oran flights, and Air Algérie to connect Algiers to Palma de Mallorca. Nevertheless, the appointment of a new Algerian ambassador to Madrid will undoubtedly partially ease the tensions between the two countries.