Madrid Calls On Its Manufacturers To Exploit Improved Relations With Algeria

European countries that entered into a crisis with Algeria due to their changing positions on the Sahrawi issue are racing to restore their economic influence. Spanish presence is strengthening day by day, while the French are suffering from the repercussions of the crisis  triggered off by their president, Emmanuel Macron, which remains stagnant despite attempts to overcome it.

In this regard, Spain’s Secretary of State for Trade, Amparo Lopez, on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, encouraged Spanish companies to restore and  bolster economic and trade relations with Algeria, urging them to take advantage of what she described as a “very opportune moment” following the normalization of diplomatic relations.

This endeavor aims to diversify exports and ensure energy supplies in the face of international uncertainty, according to the Spanish official.

The Spanish official’s remarks came at a forum organized by the Chamber of Commerce in the Spanish city of Valencia, which was dedicated to discussing the opportunities offered by the Algerian market to Spanish investors and exporters, under the title “The Current Situation of Algeria” conference. Minister Amparo Lopez attended, according to the Spanish agency “Europa Press”.

The Spanish minister was quoted as describing Algeria as a “strategic” country for Madrid because it helps it diversify its energy sources, and that it is an “important resource” in the context of the comprehensive uncertainty caused by the Zionist-American aggression against Iran and its repercussions, such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas needs and one-third of fertilizer products pass.

The Spanish official pointed to the improvement in Algerian-Spanish relations in recent months, after the crisis sparked off by the head of the Madrid government, Pedro Sanchez, in 2022, when he decided, without prior warning, to change his country’s historical and neutral position on the Sahrawi issue, which led to Algeria recalling its ambassador from Madrid at the time and suspending the “Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighborliness,” which the two countries signed in 2002.

Spain’s Secretary of State for Trade praised the recent visit of her country’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, to Algeria, which, as is well known, culminated in overcoming the obstacles that affected bilateral relations, as well as reactivating the “Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighborliness.” She also spoke about her readiness to make an official visit to Algeria in the “coming months.”

Ms. Amparo Lopez also reiterated that Algeria is considered a “reliable partner and it is essential to maintain contact with it for reasons related to economic security and the export sector itself,” in response to a question about security in the face of instability and conflict in the Middle East, noting that the Valencia region is the fourth Spanish region in terms of exports to Algeria in 2025, with sales exceeding 400 million euros.

The Spanish official’s statements come two days before the expected visit of the Movement of French Enterprises (MEDEF, the organization representing French businesspeople) to Algeria, in an attempt by French economic circles to restore their lost glory in Algeria, due to the escalating political and diplomatic crisis between the two countries caused by the French side through its repeated provocations in positions and practices towards Algeria and its symbols.

The Spanish government, based on the statements of its Minister of Trade, is trying to exploit the current state of tension characterizing Algerian-French relations, which has greatly affected French companies that have lost many of their privileges in Algeria, in order to strengthen its presence in light of the current data characterized by a reshaping of the partners’ map in the coming period, during which French companies will lose the exceptional privileges they previously enjoyed, in favor of loyal partners such as the Italians, Turks, and Spanish, as well as the Chinese.