Arabic version: سانشيز يزور الجزائر فيما تسعى إسبانيا إلى تعزيز العلاقات

According to France 24, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Algeria on Monday for the first time in four years, seeking to deepen relations after a diplomatic dispute over Western Sahara strained ties between the two countries. Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune received Sanchez at the El Mouradia Palace in Algiers.

Sanchez said the visit held “particular importance” for Spain, which regards Algeria as “not only a neighbouring country but also a strategic partner”. Accompanied by senior Spanish energy executives, he said Algeria was Spain’s largest supplier of natural gas this year.

Relations deteriorated in 2022 after Madrid abandoned its decades-long neutral position on Western Sahara and backed Morocco’s sovereignty claim over the disputed former colony. Algeria, which supports the pro-independence Polisario Front, suspended a 2002 friendship treaty with Spain, recalled its ambassador and froze banking operations linked to trade with Madrid.

The countries began restoring commercial relations last year, and Algeria said in March that it had reactivated the friendship treaty. Tebboune described his talks with Sanchez as “fruitful” and “frank”, saying the visit had given bilateral relations a “new impetus”. The leaders discussed energy, investment by Spanish companies in Algeria, migration and Western Sahara. Sanchez said it was essential to strengthen political dialogue and build a mutually beneficial economic partnership.