Algeria and Spain are turning a new page in their diplomatic relations and cooperation across multiple areas, particularly in migration. This warming of ties with Spain comes amid heightened diplomatic tensions with France, especially over immigration issues.
On Monday, February 24, Algeria’s Minister of Interior and Local Communities, Brahim Merad, began a two-day official visit to Spain at the invitation of his Spanish counterpart, Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gomez. According to a statement from Algeria’s Interior Ministry, the visit aims to “discuss matters of bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest.”
Algeria: A “Key Partner” for Spain in Security and Migration Cooperation
Spanish media report that illegal immigration, along with enhancing collaboration on civil protection and counterterrorism, were the main topics during the meeting between Algerian Interior Minister Brahim Merad and his Spanish counterpart. However, the Spanish newspaper El Periódico notes that the meeting carried a broader diplomatic significance beyond just technical security matters. It marks the first official meeting between ministers of the two governments since the diplomatic crisis between Algiers and Madrid in March 2022.
During their exchange, Fernando Grande-Marlaska described Algeria as a “key partner” for Spain in security cooperation and the fight against illegal immigration. He highlighted Algeria’s efforts to combat human trafficking networks as evidence of this partnership. The ministers also discussed Algeria’s decisive role in securing the release of Spanish national Navarro Canada Joachim, who was kidnapped in January in the Algerian-Malian border region.
Algeria Strengthens Ties with Spain Amid Strained Relations with France
Last Friday, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf met with his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares, in Johannesburg on the sidelines of a G20 ministerial meeting. According to a statement from Algeria’s foreign ministry, the two discussed “ways and means to elevate relations between the two countries by strengthening mutual trust and promoting bilateral cooperation.”
On February 19, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune referred to Spain as a “friendly country” while congratulating Algerian writer Yasmina Khadra for winning a prestigious international literary award. Beyond the restoration of diplomatic ties, trade between the two nations has already resumed for at least a year.
This growing closeness between Madrid and Algiers comes at a time when Algeria’s relations with France are experiencing an unprecedented crisis. On migration issues in particular, Spain has praised Algeria’s efforts, while France’s Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has repeatedly criticized Algiers, accusing it of failing to issue enough consular laissez-passer documents to facilitate the deportation of Algerian nationals under expulsion orders (OQTF) in France.
Following a deadly attack by an Algerian national in Mulhouse on Saturday, February 22, Retailleau pointed out that Algeria had refused to issue a consular laissez-passer for the assailant’s deportation on ten separate occasions.
