US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine was felt even in the Arab world, particular the rise in wheat prices, ending in Algeria, an ally of Moscow, a regional tour.
Arrived from Morocco, the regional rival of Algeria, Mr. Blinken spoke in Algiers with his counterpart Ramtane Lamamra before being received by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
The head of American diplomacy had participated in the opening of his regional tour at the beginning of the week in Israel, in a kibbutz in the Negev desert, in an unprecedented meeting with his Israeli counterparts and those of four Arab countries, including Morocco.
Although Algeria, a fervent supporter of the Palestinians, is fiercely hostile to it, Mr. Blinken affirmed during a press conference in Algiers that Washington intended “to support this (Israeli-Arab) normalization and encourage other countries to ‘join it’.
But his main message was about the war in Ukraine.
“In the case of Ukraine, there is an obvious aggressor and an obvious victim and it is important to stand with the victim,” he said as several countries in the region, including Algeria, have refrained from criticizing Russia for fear of compromising their relations with Moscow.
To support his message, the head of American diplomacy affirmed that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had had a direct impact on the region, with the rise in prices that the war caused.
” Price increase “
“I think the impact is felt. Even if the conflict is taking place far from the region, in Europe, it has a direct impact on the lives of the peoples of the region, particularly with the increase in the prices of food products, in particular wheat,” he said.
“I have understood from my discussions with many colleagues over the past few days that this pain is felt acutely in this region. Most countries import at least half of their wheat,” of which Russia and Ukraine are among the main suppliers, he added.
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.
If he had reiterated in Rabat the American support for the autonomy plan – “serious, credible and realistic” – presented by Morocco to settle the “dispute”, he was careful not to do so in Algiers, in an apparent concern not to offend his guests.
He thus contented himself with affirming that Washington “continues to support the efforts of the UN” and of the personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General, Staffan de Mistura. “There has been no change in our position.”
The Biden administration has so far been less eager than the previous one – that of Donald Trump – who promised in December 2020 to open a consulate in Dakhla, Western Sahara, recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over this territory in the counterpart to 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 carrying Algerian gas to Spain and passing through Morocco.
According to press reports, Algeria rejected an American request to increase the flow 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 did not mention this file during his press conference.
