Algeria has decided to appoint a new ambassador to Spain and resume its full diplomatic ties with the European country after 19 months of estrangement, said Spanish news outlet El Confidencial on Thursday.
Algeria had recalled its ambassador from Madrid due to Spain’s support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for the Sahara, which is internationally recognized as a serious, credible, and lasting solution to the conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.
El Confidencial revealed that Abdelfattah Daghmoum, a diplomat who had previously served in Madrid as a minister-counselor, will assume the role vacated by Saudi Moussi, who now serves as Algeria’s ambassador in Paris.
El Confidencial also noted that it remains uncertain whether the new appointment will instantly end Algeria’s boycott of Spanish products.
On June 8, 2022, Algiers suspended the friendship and cooperation treaty signed with Spain in 2002. Subsequently, it imposed trade restrictions on Spain and excluded Spanish companies from participating in public tenders. However, the country maintained gas exports through the Medgaz pipeline running from Beni-Saf to Almeria.
Spanish companies which were adversely affected by this boycott and incurred significant losses, have united to establish the “Association of Companies Affected by the Algerian Crisis.” They are demanding that the government offers compensation for damage they suffered due to a “political decision” made by the Sanchez government.