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- Spain’s foreign minister José Manuel Albares recently said the sovereign decision of mending ways with Algeria over western Sahara was taken within the framework of international law
Spain’s foreign minister José Manuel Albares recently said the sovereign decision of mending ways with Algeria over western Sahara was taken within the framework of international law.
With the change in stand of Spain towards western Sahara, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune recently vowed his country would not cut off energy supplies to Spain despite the diplomatic row over Western Sahara.
In an interview aired in television recently, president said that Algeria would never abandon its commitment to supply Spain with gas under any circumstances. Row over pipeline has been going on for quite some time. However, the recent stand of Spain on Western Sahara changed everything.
In October, Spanish president announced the end of the contract with Rabat that allowed the transport of gas to the peninsula through the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline. It is one of the two energy supply routes to Spain from the North African country. The pipeline crosses more than 500 km of Moroccan soil. and the cessation of its operation has revealed a rise in tensions between the two countries against the backdrop of the Western Sahara conflict. However, Spain reached an agreement with Rabat earlier this month to guarantee its energy security and to transport gas from the peninsula to Morocco via the same pipeline.
In the meantime, the European Union’s Ambassador to Morocco Patricia Llombart has reaffirmed the bloc’s desire to expand collaboration with the North African country in various sectors. She met with Neila Mia Tazi the president of the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, National Defense, and Moroccans Living Abroad recently. Llombart said that partnering with Morocco and developing cultural and creative industries is at the heart of this warm and rich exchange.
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The meeting was also an opportunity to discuss Morocco’s reforms in various fields, Llombart said, confirming that work is in progress to deepen cooperation in the cultural and creative industries due to its great potential in creating job opportunities and achieving economic growth.
The two diplomats have also discussed current affairs focusing on the ongoing Russian-Ukraine war and its global impact. They also touched on the situation of Moroccan students who study in Ukraine and the need to assist them and enable them to continue their studies in other European countries.
In addition, Llombart and Morocco’s Minister of Economic Inclusion Younes Sekkouri discussed opportunities to promote youth employment and entrepreneurship between Morocco and the EU.
