Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Algeria on Monday, July 20th, 2026, seeking to deepen diplomatic and economic ties after a four-year hiatus. The visit comes as Spain and Algeria work to mend relations that deteriorated in 2022 when Madrid abandoned its decades-long neutrality on the Western Sahara dispute and backed Morocco’s sovereignty claim, angering Algiers.
During the visit, Sanchez emphasized the importance of Algeria as not only a neighboring country but also a strategic partner for Spain. Accompanied by senior Spanish energy executives, he noted that Algeria is Spain’s largest supplier of natural gas this year.
Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune described the talks with Sanchez as “fruitful” and “frank,” stating that the visit gave bilateral relations a “new impetus.” Sanchez highlighted the need to strengthen political dialogue and build a mutually beneficial economic partnership between the two nations.
Relations began to thaw last year when Algeria reactivated a friendship treaty it had suspended in 2022, following Spain’s shift on Western Sahara. That year, Algeria had suspended the 2002 treaty, recalled its ambassador, and froze banking operations linked to trade with Madrid in response to Spain’s support for Morocco’s plan concerning the disputed territory.
Since last year, Algeria and Spain have been restoring commercial ties, with the friendship treaty officially reactivated in March 2026.
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