The Diplomat
Algeria warned the government yesterday that it will break the contract to supply gas to Spain if part of what it sends to the country is diverted to another destination, in reference to Morocco, under the commitment to help the Alawi kingdom regasify Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and send it back to Moroccan territory.
The warning was made by the Minister of Energy, Mohamed Arkab, after receiving an email from the Third Vice-President, Teresa Ribera, informing him that Spain will proceed to authorise the reverse flow of the Maghreb Europe Gas Pipeline (GME) through which Algeria supplied the peninsula via Morocco until last November, when it proceeded to its closure.
In a statement from his department, reported by the official agency APS, Arkab made it clear that if part of the natural gas sent by Algeria to Spain has a “destination that is not other than that foreseen in the contracts”, then it will be considered as “a breach of contractual commitments and, therefore, could lead to the rupture of the contract that links Sonatrach with its Spanish customers”.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, was forced yesterday to respond in the Congress to the harsh criticism of the PP for the deterioration of relations with Algeria.
“We Spaniards cannot afford his incompetence because it is very expensive for us”, warned the PP Foreign Affairs spokeswoman, Valentina Martínez Ferro, during the session of control to the Government, in relation to serious diplomatic crisis with Algeria (main supplier of gas to Spain) as a result of the decision of the Executive of Pedro Sánchez to accept the Moroccan plan of autonomy for Western Sahara.
According to the PP MP, the “clamorous errors” of Albares “are joined by deceit and lies”, for assuring that Algeria had been previously informed of the change of course regarding Western Sahara, for insisting that the bilateral relationship would not be affected and for affirming that the crisis with Algeria “would not affect the gas contract”. At a time when “it is more necessary than ever to have a serious, predictable, reliable and solid foreign policy”, the Government has chosen to “permanently play the opposition to itself”, she denounced.
In his reply, Albares reiterated his “commitment to Algeria and to the Government of Algeria” and insisted that the objective of the Government is “to have the best relationship with them and that this is not incompatible with having a good relationship with Morocco”. According to the minister, “Algeria is a solid and reliable partner”, but the improvement of relations with Morocco has been beneficial for Spain, as evidenced by the reactivation, in the coming weeks, of the joint forums on immigration and maritime borders and the restoration of maritime traffic.
“Spain wants to have the best neighborly relations with all its neighbors,” assured the minister, who wondered if the PP “dislikes the good relationship with Morocco and would like there to be a clash with Algeria.” But do not worry, this government will continue working to have the best neighborly relations,” he concluded.
