Algeria suspended, on Wednesday June 8, a “treaty of friendship, good neighborliness and cooperation” concluded in 2002 with Spain, after Madrid’s reversal on the Western Sahara dossier to align itself with Morocco’s position, announced the presidency.
The Spanish-Algerian treaty provided for the strengthening of political dialogue between the two countries at all levels and the development of cooperation in the economic, financial, educational and defense fields.
“The Spanish government regrets the announcement of the presidency” Algerian “to suspend the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperationreacted Spanish diplomatic sources. The Spanish government considers Algeria as a neighboring and friendly country and reaffirms its full availability to continue to maintain and develop the special relations of cooperation between the two countries, in the interest of both parties. »
They also underlined that the Spanish government remains committed to this treaty and the principles that underpin it, in particular ” the principles (…) non-interference in internal affairs and respect for the inalienable right of peoples to self-determination”.
Radical change of position
On March 18, Spain made a radical change of position on this sensitive issue, publicly supporting the Moroccan autonomy project for this territory, a former Spanish colony, angering Algiers, the main ally of the Sahrawi independence movement of the Polisario Front.
“These same authorities [espagnoles], who bear the responsibility for an unjustifiable reversal of their position since the announcements of March 18, 2022 by which the current Spanish government gave its full support to the illegal and illegitimate formula of internal autonomy advocated by the occupying power, are working to promote a colonial fait accompli by using fallacious arguments”added the Algerian presidency.
“This attitude of the Spanish government is in violation of the international legality imposed on it by its status as the administering power and the efforts of the United Nations and the new personal envoy of the Secretary General and contributes directly to the deterioration of the situation in Western Sahara and In the region “according to the same source.