Algeria breaks its friendship treaty with Spain for its “unjustified” turn on Western Sahara

The Algerian authorities have decided to suspend the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation that they had maintained with Spain for almost two decades because of their “unjustified” change of position on the autonomy plan for Western Sahara. This was announced yesterday by the country’s president Abdelmayid Tebune, who has criticized the campaign to try to excuse a political turn that, in his opinion, involves a “violation of legal, moral and political obligations”.

“The Spanish authorities have carried out a campaign to justify their position on Western Sahara in violation of their legal obligations, the Kingdom of Spain until the end of the decolonization of Western Sahara»,

At the end of March, Spain endorsed Morocco’s plan to recognize the North African region as a Moroccan territory. Following this, the Frente Polisario, backed by Algeria, accused the Spanish Government of “succumbing to permanent blackmail” by Rabat.

However, it was not the only reproach levelled by the Algerian authorities. Last April, shortly after the Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, valued the alliance of Spain and Morocco over the former colony, Algerian customs authorities banned the purchase of Spanish products and asked traders to look for alternative markets.

Now, from Algiers they have regretted that the Executive of Pedro Sánchez is in favor of an “illegal and illegitimate formula” as the autonomy raised from the Moroccan side through “fallacious arguments”.

Spain’s response was swift. Through a statement, the Spanish Executive has reaffirmed “its full commitment to the content of the Treaty and the principles that inform it, reflected in its preamble and in particular strict adherence to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and to the principles of international law as fundamental elements for the maintenance of peace, security and justice in international society, in particular the principles of the sovereign equality of States, non-interference in internal affairs and respect for the inalienable right of peoples to self-determination”.