End of the quarrel and the diplomatic crisis between Algeria and Spain. Nineteen months after the recall, in March 2022, of Ambassador Saïd Moussi ( now stationed in Paris ), Algiers submitted a request to the Spanish authorities at the end of October for approval of a new ambassador in Madrid. Former ambassador to Guinea, Abdelfettah Daghmoum should be accredited in the coming weeks.
“No recovery at an appreciable level”
The appointment of this diplomat, former number two at the Madrid embassy, marks the beginning of the normalization of relations between the two countries. “In the short term, however, we cannot envisage a recovery at an appreciable level,” says an Algerian diplomat. We need to give time so that relationships return to the level they were at. »
On March 19, 2022, when nothing predicted a cold snap, Algiers decided to recall its diplomat stationed in Madrid since April 2021. What reason for the anger of the Algerians? The decision taken by the government of Pedro Sánchez to support the Moroccan autonomy plan in the settlement of the conflict with Western Sahara. In a letter addressed a few days earlier to the King of Morocco, the Spanish Prime Minister showed his country’s support for this plan.
“I recognize the importance of the question of Western Sahara by Morocco and the serious and credible efforts of Morocco, within the framework of the United Nations, to find a mutually acceptable solution,” wrote the head of the Spanish government to the Moroccan sovereign. In this sense, Spain considers that the Moroccan autonomy proposal presented in 2007 is the most serious, credible, and realistic basis for resolving the dispute. »
Case Belli
Made public by the royal palace, this letter constitutes an unacceptable casus belli for Algerians. First, on the form. At no time were the Algerian authorities informed by the Spaniards of the existence of this letter and its contents, although the latter swore that the missive should under no circumstances be made public. Worse. The Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ramtane Lamamra, who was dismissed last March, learned of his existence not through the Spaniards, with whom he nevertheless had excellent relations, but through his entourage.
Madrid’s turnaround on the question of Western Sahara is all the more difficult because, on March 6, 2022, twelve days before the disclosure of this letter, Pedro Sánchez and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had a telephone exchange described as very cordial. During this meeting, the head of the Spanish government congratulated the Algerian head of state on the excellent relations between the two countries, as well as Algeria’s respect for its commitments, particularly linked to gas delivery.
Also, this turnaround by Spain on the Sahrawi question in favor of Morocco – even though its position has been that of neutrality since the conflict – is experienced in Algiers as a stab in the back, a betrayal. “This letter makes Spain lose its historic role on the Sahrawi question,” judges a former Algerian minister. She is no longer the historical moderator since 1975 and the interlocutor of all the parties, Polisario, Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania.”
Algerian anger was not limited to the recall of its ambassador. Two and a half months later, Algiers decided to suspend the treaty of friendship, good neighborliness, and cooperation concluded on October 8, 2002, with the Kingdom of Spain. Trade is also frozen, while Spain is Algeria’s fourth customer after China, France, and Italy with nearly 3 billion euros in exports.
A crisis with far-reaching consequences
Obviously, the consequences of this crisis are multiple. Cooperation between Algiers and Madrid in the fight against terrorism and illegal immigration has suffered, thus reducing the exchange of information between the two partners. This crisis has also affected cultural cooperation and academic exchanges, particularly in the provision of scholarships to Algerian students and researchers.
But the most notable consequences are those affecting the economic sector. It is an understatement to say that Spanish foreign trade will have lost market share in Algeria. According to statistics from the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, exports from Spain to Algeria increased to 1.02 billion dollars in 2022 compared to 1.888 billion in 2021. From January to March 2023, these exports amounted to 30.2 million dollars, compared to 472.9 million for the same period in 2022.
Since the start of this crisis, the Spaniards have continued to try to renew dialogue, waiting for Algiers to agree to appoint a new ambassador. The decision concerning this possible return will be taken within the framework of “prior clarifications” and “frank” to rebuild “seriously damaged trust” on the basis of “clear, predictable principles and consistent with international law”, explained in April 2022 by the ministry Algerian Foreign Affairs.
While all doors that could lead to a return to normalization seemed closed, links and contacts were maintained between the two parties via a sort of parallel diplomacy. “We have always made sure to maintain bridges with the Spaniards, whether they are in office or outside official circuits,” admits a retired Algerian diplomat.
Algiers hoped that the defeat of Pedro Sánchez’s government in the July 2023 elections – and the advent of a new team likely to challenge the Spanish position on the Sahrawi question – would be an opportunity to turn a new page in these relations. in crisis. But between reversals and political alliances within the Spanish political class, it was ultimately the same Pedro Sánchez who opened the way for a patch-up with Algiers with his declaration delivered during the general debate of the 78th session of the General Assembly ( AG) of the UN.
The head of the Spanish government that day emphasized his country’s support for “a political solution acceptable to both parties, within the framework of the UN charter and the decisions of the Security Council”. Not quite a return to the position that prevailed before the letter of March 2022, but a repositioning sufficiently noted to open a new page in relations between Algiers and Madrid. This will begin the day the new ambassador sets out on General Oráa Street, the headquarters of the Algerian embassy in Madrid.
