Algeria, Spain to Discuss Trade Relations, Immigration Crisis

The former Algerian Prime Minister with the Spanish Minister in Algeria (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares is expected to arrive in Algiers on Monday to meet with officials and discuss the full resumption of trade between the two countries following the end of their political crisis a short time ago, according to Algerian government sources.
The meetings will also address illegal immigration, the desert conflict, the turbulent political and security situation in the Sahel, and the tragic humanitarian crisis in Gaza in light of the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Strip.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry announced that Albares would visit Algeria at the invitation of its Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, without providing details about the duration and the purpose of the visit.
Algerian official sources suggested that President Abdelmadjid Tebboune or Prime Minister Nadir Larbaoui would receive the Spanish official.
They confirmed that several issues would be discussed between Albares and Attaf, most notably the return of intra-trade, the situation in Mali, and the Sahara issue, which was a subject of disagreement between the two countries.
They would also discuss the Israeli war on Gaza, as Algeria and Spain share similar positions, the most prominent of which is the necessity of stopping the aggression immediately and allowing aid to enter the Strip.
Signs of a breakthrough in relations between the two countries appeared last November following the return of the Algerian ambassador to Madrid 20 months after his withdrawal.
In December, the Algerian airline resumed its flights to major Spanish cities after several months' halt.
The crisis with Spain began after the Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, sent a letter to the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, in March 2022, declaring his country's support for the Autonomy Plan to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara.
Algeria considered the position a "departure from neutrality," regarding the issue causing a rift between Algiers and Rabat for many years, and suspended the "treaty of friendship" with Madrid, which dates back to 2002.
Following the ambassador's withdrawal, Algeria stopped all its trade exchanges with Spain, which caused significant financial losses to dozens of Spanish institutions.
It also created a severe scarcity of materials in the Algerian market.
Spanish goods exported to Algeria were valued at around 3 billion euros before the unprecedented political crisis between the two countries.
Gas was excluded from the trade boycott because the two countries had long-term contracts related to the sale of energy.
A few weeks ago, Attaf told the media that the end of the rift with Spain is a change in Madrid's position regarding the Sahara issue.
He referred to President Pedro Sanchez's speech at the UN General Assembly last September, in which he stressed that Spain supports the Special Envoy of the UN Sec-Gen to the Western Sahara.
He stressed that his government would continue to support the region's people in refugee camps as it had always done.
For the Algerians, Sanchez's failure to confirm support for the Autonomy Plan for the Sahara amounted to a disparity from the previous position.
The Algerian President was also quoted as saying at a cabinet meeting last September that Spain has begun to align with the European decision on the Sahara issue, which is to support the efforts of the UN in favor of a political path to reach a just and lasting political solution, acceptable to all parties.