US Secretary of State Antony Blinken began a visit to Algeria on Wednesday, completing a regional tour of the Russian-allied country and major gas producer sought to increase its exports to mitigate the impact of war in Ukraine.
Arrived from Morocco where he stopped on Tuesday as part of his tour, Mr. Blinken spoke in Algiers with his counterpart Ramtane Lamamra before being received by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
The discussions will focus on “regional security and stability, trade cooperation as well as the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms”, indicated a State Department official, Yael Lempert.
His visit comes as relations between Algeria and Morocco are going through a serious crisis, at the heart of which is the question of the disputed territory of Western Sahara, which for decades has pitted Rabat against the Sahrawi separatists supported by Algiers.
This file, the priority of Moroccan diplomacy, featured prominently on the menu of Mr. Blinken’s talks in Rabat on Tuesday.
He thus reiterated American support for the autonomy plan — “serious, credible and realistic” — presented by Morocco to settle the “dispute” and expressed Washington’s support for the personal envoy of the Secretary General of the UN, Staffan de Mistura, and the “political process” under the aegis of the United Nations.
But the Biden administration has so far been less eager than the previous one – that of Donald Trump – which promised in December 2020 to open a consulate in Dakhla, Western Sahara, recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over this territory in return for the normalization of relations between Morocco and Israel.
The crisis between the two Maghreb heavyweights culminated with the severance of their diplomatic relations in August 2021 at the initiative of Algiers.
Following this rupture, Algeria closed in October the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline transporting Algerian gas to Spain and transiting through Morocco.
According to press reports, Algeria rejected an American request to increase the supply of gas to Europe by reopening this Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline during a recent visit by the sub- US Secretary of State Windy Sherman in Algiers.
Mr. Blinken could raise again Wednesday this file, very sensitive for Algeria, anxious not to compromise its relations with its Russian ally.
