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Join on Telegram Rabat – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez renewed on Monday Spain’s position in favor of the Moroccan Autonomy Plan as the most serious and credible basis to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara.
Sanchez renewed his country’s position in an interview with Antena 3 during which he spoke about the Algerian-Spanish political crisis.
Algeria recalled its ambassador from Spain in March after the European country officially endorsed Morocco’s Autonomy initiative as the most serious and credible basis to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
Algeria’s reaction stems from its approach toward Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over the Western Sahara region. For years, the Algerian regime has financed, and armed the Polisario Front, a separatist group claiming independence over Western Sahara.
Sanchez responded to Algeria’s move to recall its ambassador, by emphasizing his country’s determination to maintain a “positive” relationship with Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s government.
He said that his country collaborates with Algeria in different sectors, including energy and security, describing the Spanish-Algerian cooperation as “extraordinary.”
However, Sanchez stressed the importance of the strategic partnership between Spain and Morocco in different fields, such as counterterrorism, and the fight against drug and human trafficking, as well as trade.
“Spain’s third-largest trading partner outside the European Union is Morocco, so having stable relations of trust, security, and stability with Morocco is paramount for Spain,” Sanchez argued.
In addition to recalling its ambassador to Spain, Algeria also hinted at increasing its gas prices exported to Spain.
Earlier this month, Spanish Ecological Transition Minister Teresa ibera acknowledged that her country is expecting a “moderate” increase in Algeria’s gas prices.
Spain’s remarks came after CEO of Algeria’s energy company Sonatrach Toufic Hakkar announced the “recalculation” of its gas prices to Spain on April 1.
Political analysts and observers saw Algeria’s move as a pressuring attempt against Spain following its position change regarding Western Sahara.
However, data confirm that Spain is no longer depending on Algeria’s gas. Previously between 2014 and 2018, Spain imported around 50 to 60% of gas from Algeria.
In February, Spain’s imports of Algerian gas significantly declined to 23% compared to 45% over the previous months.
