MADRID, 5 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The PP has attacked this Wednesday against the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, for his “incompetence” to manage the “important” relationship with Algeria, while the head of diplomacy has defended himself by raising the good relationship with Morocco.
During the government control session, the PP Foreign spokesperson, Valentina Martínez Ferro, accused Albares of “cracking” the relationship with Algeria thanks to “his exceptional spirit and talent”, which he considers a “mess”.
Algiers withdrew its ambassador from Madrid in March, after the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, backed the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara. As a result, the supply and price of the gas that Spain imports from Algeria is “in suspense”, in the words of Martínez, who has underlined the lack of “results” in the context of the crisis in the bilateral relationship. “Get off the pedestal”, he has asked him, censuring the Spanish turn regarding the Sahara.
Albares, for his part, has reiterated that Spain seeks “the best relations” with Algeria, based on “mutual respect” and “non-interference in internal affairs”, but defending the interests of Spain and its companies, a message that the Government has made an effort to transfer since March.
In this context, the Foreign Minister has defended the current relations with Morocco, which have allowed the opening of the borders, the increase in trade or migratory control, but that the PP “has been criticizing for months”. “If they are not going to lend a shoulder, at least they are not to get in the way,” he has asked.
Regarding Western Sahara, Albares has reported that this Tuesday he met with the envoy of the UN Secretary General for the region, Staffan de Mistura, to whom he reiterated Spain’s support for the United Nations mission.
