Algeria recalls its ambassador in Madrid after Spain’s “shift”

Algeria decided to callinstant effectto its ambassador in Madrid, after the statements of the Spanish Prime Minister that constitute, according to Algiers, “sudden reversal» stand on Western DesertAccording to a press release carried by the official media.

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Spain, which is highly dependent on Algerian natural gas supplies, radically changed its stance on this sensitive issue on Friday, publicly supporting Morocco’s position on the Western Sahara autonomy plan for the first time, while always calling for neutrality between Rabat and Rabat. Sahrawi separatists from the Polisario Front.

A new position praised by the Moroccan authorities

“The Algerian authorities were surprised by the statements of the higher Spanish authorities regarding the Western Sahara file, surprised by this sudden reversal in the position of the previous authority of the administration of Western Sahara, and decided to recall its ambassador in Madrid for consultations immediately.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

Read alsoThe Algerian-Moroccan crisis: Western Sahara “no negotiation”, warns the King of Morocco

The head of Spanish diplomacy, Jose Manuel Al-Paris, said Friday in Barcelona that Spain “Consider the Autonomy Initiative presented in 2007by Morocco as “The most dangerous realistic and credible basis for resolving this conflictBetween Rabat and the Polisario Front.

This new position, announced by Rabat a few hours ago, quoting a message from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, praised by the Moroccan authorities.constructive commitments», paving the way for a thaw in bilateral relations.

Big diplomatic brawl

A major diplomatic dispute between Rabat and Madrid since April 2021 after Spain received treatment there for Covid, the leader of the Polisario Ibrahim Ghaly. This resulted in the arrival of large numbers of immigrants of Moroccan origin in May 2021 to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta (northern Morocco), benefiting from the easing of border controls on the Moroccan side.

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The conflict in Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony considered “Non-self-governing territoryBy the United Nations, Morocco had for decades opposed Sahrawi separatists from the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria. Rabat, which controls nearly 80% of this region, is proposing an autonomy plan under its sovereignty while the Polisario calls for a self-determination referendum, which was planned when a ceasefire was signed in 1991, but never materialized.

Algeria supplies more than 40% of Spain’s imported natural gas, most of which reaches it via the Medgaz offshore gas pipeline.