The Diplomat
The diplomatic crisis between Spain and Algeria generated yesterday in Congress a new round of mutual accusations between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, and the Popular Party, the main opposition formation.
“The problem is his incompetence, which has a direct impact on the lives of Spaniards,” said the spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs of the Popular Group in Congress, Valentina Martinez Ferro, during a question to the minister on what the Government is doing to restore relations with Algeria. “Trade exchanges have been interrupted, the number of immigrants from Algeria has skyrocketed and both the supply and the price of gas are today in turmoil” in the midst of “the biggest energy crisis of the last 50 years,” continued the MP during the control session to the Government in the plenary session of the Lower House.
“What are you doing to improve the very important relationship we have with Algeria?” she asked. “We cannot afford a minister incapable of offering a solution, because Spanish companies lose 4.4 million euros in exports every day,” she warned. “Get off your pedestal,” she added.
In his response, Albares repeated, once again, his usual argument that diplomacy requires “discretion, loyalty and sense of State”, three qualities that, he assured, are lacking in the PP, with which it is “impossible” to maintain a “coherent” foreign policy. He also reiterated that Spain wishes to maintain “the best relations” with Algeria, relations that have always been characterized by “mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs”, and assured that the recovery of relations with Morocco has allowed the reopening of borders, the increase of trade and the improvement of migratory control.
According to Albares, the defense of relations with Algeria is compatible with the defense of the interests of Spaniards and their companies and, in this sense, he accused the PP of going against the interests of Spain and of having spent “months criticizing” without providing solutions or facilitating consensus. “If they are not going to help, at least do not get in the way”, he proclaimed.
Spain and Algeria are going through a serious diplomatic crisis following the decision of the President of the Government, Pedro Sanchez, to recognize the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara, a measure which has made it possible to revive relations with Morocco at the expense of relations with Algeria.
This situation has resulted in the recall for consultations of the Algerian ambassador in Madrid and the Algerian decision to suspend the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation, as well as possible threats to financial transactions with Spain, which has led Albares to denounce these measures before the European Commission. However, Algeria has insisted at all times that it will fulfill its “contractual obligations” for the supply of gas to Spain. On September 26, the minister acknowledged during a Europa Press breakfast briefing that there is still a “blockage” in some commercial operations between the two countries.
