Gas for political backing. Spain needs more Algerian gas, up to 15% more than currently. Algeria needs Spain’s diplomatic support to break the isolation it has been subjected to in recent years, mainly due to Morocco’s skillful diplomacy. In theory, both countries should benefit from Sánchez’s recent visit to Algiers. It remains to be seen what they think in Rabat.
After four years in which relations between both countries have remained “frozen”, Abdelmajid Tebboune and Pedro Sánchez agreed on Monday to strengthen “political dialogue, the strengthening of economic partnership, and greater cooperation in the regional and international sphere,” according to the Spanish Government’s website.
The goal for Spain is fundamentally to consolidate the supply of Algerian gas —currently 30% of its imports— and increase it by around 15%, which would once again make Algeria the essential gas supplier to Spain.
Algeria suspended the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between both countries in 2022, after Sánchez’s Government complied with Morocco’s demand to expel Sahrawi leader Brahim Galli from Spanish territory, whose entry for treatment in a hospital in Logroño was authorized in 2021 by then Foreign Minister Arancha González-Laya.
Sánchez announced, at the end of the meeting, that both countries will hold the VIII High-Level Meeting (RAN) this autumn, which will be preceded by political consultations between both governments. The previous High-Level Meeting between both countries dates back to 2018.
The moment to recover dialogue between both governments is favorable as Spain wants to rebuild bridges with its best natural gas supplier while Algeria seeks to break the isolation it has been in until now.
This isolation has become evident, on one hand, with the resolution of the French National Assembly that questions the immigration agreement that granted a privileged status to Algerians, and on the other, the resolution 2797 of the UN Security Council, which supports the Moroccan plan for autonomy in Western Sahara.
“It is essential to strengthen political dialogue between Spain and Algeria. Dialogue is the foundation upon which everything else is built,” said President Pedro Sánchez, hinting at the opportunity that Spanish diplomacy has found to recover good relations with Algeria.
During their meeting, both leaders also discussed strengthening cooperation in managing migratory flows, combating terrorism, cultural cooperation, and trade exchanges between both countries.
The President of the Government emphasized that “Spain sees Algeria not only as a neighboring country but as a strategic partner and above all as a friendly country.”
In the economic sphere, accompanied by representatives of Spanish companies established in the North African country, the President of the Government showed Spain’s commitment to consolidating itself as a strategic partner in the modernization process of the Algerian energy and industrial sector.
And he added that “in this new push we are giving to relations between Spain and Algeria, our private sector, our companies, will play a fundamental role, which the Government wants to accompany and encourage,” said Pedro Sánchez.
The President said that the economic relationship transcends the energy sector and has bet on expanding cooperation in sectors such as industry, infrastructure, food, services, technological innovation, and digitalization.
On the international level, both leaders agreed on the importance of strengthening cooperation between two countries called to act as a bridge between Europe and Africa. Pedro Sánchez assured that “only by working together can we successfully face the challenges that most concern our societies, such as the cost of living, security, and the climate emergency.”
The President of the Government highlighted Algeria’s strategic role for the stability of the Sahel and Spain’s willingness to strengthen relations between the European Union and its Mediterranean partners, in line with the Spain-Africa Strategy 2025-2028, aimed at strengthening ties with the continent.
Pedro Sánchez emphasized that, in an international context marked by significant geopolitical challenges, “cooperation and understanding between our countries are essential to promote peace, security, and sustainable development in our region.”
