Algeria rejected a request from the United States to restart the blocked gas pipeline to Spain, while Washington hoped the step would help reduce European dependence on Russian energy supplies.
It passes through Morocco, and its termination was announced following strained relations with Rabat, in December 2021.
French radio, citing Algerian sources, reported that Washington had called for the pipeline to be restarted during US Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman’s recent visit to Madrid, Rabat, and Algeria. imposed on Moscow, because of the ongoing military operations in neighboring Ukraine. But Algeria, which supplies European countries with 11% of gas imports, does not want to increase the amount at present.
The radio added that Algeria is handling the Ukrainian file with “great caution”, in a context of relentlessness on existing relations with Moscow, and refusal to align itself with the West in the crisis. The gas pipeline that crosses the Mediterranean was stopped on October 31, when Algeria refused to renew the contract that linked it to Morocco, due to political differences with the neighboring country.
French radio points out that even if Algeria agreed to increase its supplies to Europe, this would not be a short-term solution. She added that long-term supply requires significant investment and that this step requires at least 5 years to bear fruit, while Europe is in a race against time to reduce its dependence on Russian energy imports.
