On February 24, 2025, Algerian Interior Minister Ibrahim Mourad, accompanied by the Director General of National Security, visited Spain, where he met with his Spanish counterpart Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gomez. During the visit, he emphasized the importance of bilateral cooperation between the two countries and the necessity of ongoing consultation on security issues affecting both countries. This visit is significant as it marks the first diplomatic engagement after nearly three years of sharp disagreement between the two nations that began in March 2022, following Madrid’s announcement of support for Morocco’s autonomy plan to resolve the dispute with the Polisario Front over Western Sahara. It is also linked to the revival of trade relations, particularly after Algeria’s decision in November 2024 to reopen external trade operations with Spain.
Revealing Indicators
The Algerian Interior Minister’s visit to Spain comes at a time when bilateral relations have shown notable development, as evidenced by the following:
Algeria’s Reconciliation Discourse Towards Spain: Recently, Algeria has adopted a conciliatory rhetoric towards Madrid. A noteworthy moment was when Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune referred to Spain as a “friendly state” in a congratulatory message on February 19, 2025, to Algerian novelist Mohamed Mouloud, who received a literary award from the Writers’ Association in Barcelona. Tebboune’s characterization sends an important message indicating that Algeria has moved away from its harsh rhetoric against Spain and hints at the potential revival of the “Friendship and Good Neighborliness Treaty,” signed in 2002, which Algeria had suspended in response to Spain’s support for Morocco’s approach regarding Western Sahara.
Increased Mutual Visits Between Officials: Recent months have seen reciprocated visits by senior officials from both countries. The Algerian Interior Minister visited Spain with the National Security Director on February 24, 2025. In turn, a Spanish delegation visited Algeria on December 17, 2024, to enhance relations following Algeria’s lifting of export restrictions to Spain. This step was preceded by the Spanish Foreign Minister’s visit to Algeria in February 2024, which was aimed at resolving the diplomatic crisis since relations had been frozen in 2022. Furthermore, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf met with his Spanish counterpart on February 20, 2025, during the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, where both ministers affirmed the importance of strengthening relations.
Algeria Lifts Trade Ban on Spain: In November 2024, Algeria announced the complete lifting of its trade ban on Spain after approximately two and a half years of economic sanctions, through a circular issued by the Central Bank of Algeria to all financial institutions and banks, allowing for the resumption of foreign trade operations with Spain.
Continued Gas Exports from Algeria to Spain: Despite tensions between the two countries over the past two years, Algeria maintained its gas export rates to Spain, ranking as the largest gas supplier to Spain in 2024 with a 38.5% share, amounting to approximately 131.2 terawatt-hours, up from 116.3 terawatt-hours in 2023.
Algeria’s Central Role in Freeing the Spanish Hostage: Algeria played a strategic role in the release of Spanish citizen Joaquín Navarro Canda, who was kidnapped on January 14, 2025, by an armed group in southern Algeria and subsequently taken to Mali. The Spanish Interior Minister expressed deep gratitude for the efforts made by Algerian security forces that led to the release of the Spanish citizen during a meeting with his Algerian counterpart.
Multiple Goals
Algeria’s motivations for seeking to strengthen ties with Spain are primarily as follows:
Balancing French Movements on the Sahara Issue: Algeria’s approach towards Madrid partly stems from a desire to counter French pressures that support Morocco’s stance in the Sahara issue; French President Macron had expressed support for the Moroccan autonomy proposal as the only solution to the Sahara dispute. France reiterated its position recently with the visit of French Senate President Gérard Larcher to Western Sahara on February 25, 2025, following a visit by the French Minister of Culture to Laayoune in Western Sahara on February 17, 2025.
Strengthening Cooperation in Anti-Terrorism: Algeria’s interest in closer relations with Spain is also driven by a desire to bolster efforts against terrorism. The Algerian Interior Minister emphasized the importance of intensifying strategic and intelligence-sharing with Madrid to enable the security services of both countries to combat illicit activities. Estimates suggest that ISIS has managed to establish control in the border region between Mali and Algeria, taking advantage of the French withdrawal from Mali and the Sahel region.
Developing Cooperation in Combatting Irregular Migration: The issue of irregular migration presents a pressing challenge for Algeria, as the country has become a transit point for many African nationalities and a base for numerous irregular African migrants. Algeria seeks to enhance cooperation with Madrid on this issue, as Spain also faces negative repercussions from this Algerian dilemma, marked by an influx of irregular migrants and Algeria becoming a departure point to Spain and then on to EU countries, impacting Spain’s national security. Notably, a report released in 2024 by the Spanish NGO “Comando Fronteras” indicated that the maritime route linking Algeria to the eastern Spanish coast—extending from Almeria to Valencia, passing through Alicante to the Balearic Islands—witnessed the deaths of 517 irregular migrants, marking a 19% increase compared to 2023.
Recovering Stolen Algerian Funds: With Algeria’s economic indicators declining in recent times, the country has shown keen interest in recovering stolen Algerian funds, a significant portion of which has been transferred to Spain during former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s era, estimated at around 200billion.PresidentTebbouneannouncedinDecember2024thatapproximately200billion.PresidentTebbouneannouncedinDecember2024thatapproximately30 billion of this amount was recouped. Consequently, Algeria recognizes the importance of judicial cooperation with Madrid in this matter for two critical reasons: First, the recovery of stolen funds is a long and complex process requiring political and judicial cooperation with partners across the Mediterranean, especially Spain, where a significant portion of Algeria’s funds was transferred during Bouteflika’s tenure. Second, Madrid is the most cooperative capital regarding Algeria’s issues of recovering stolen funds, as President Tebboune stated in 2023 that Spain agreed to return three five-star luxury hotels that belonged to a businessman associated with the previous regime.
Dismantling Spanish Support for Morocco: Algeria aims to persuade Madrid to reconsider its supportive stance on Morocco’s approach to the Western Sahara issue, or at least adopt a neutral position regarding this crisis. Algeria sees signs that Spain is beginning to moderate its position on the Sahara crisis, the most significant of which was the Spanish Prime Minister’s announcement at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2023, affirming Spain’s support for reaching a politically acceptable solution for both Morocco and Algeria, in line with the United Nations Charter and Security Council resolutions, which Algeria views as an important step toward altering Spain’s stance on the crisis.
Intersecting Interests
In conclusion, it can be said that the Algerian Interior Minister’s visit to Spain reflects the desire of both countries to enhance opportunities for rapprochement in the coming phase and bolster cooperation across various fields that align with their interests. However, the Spanish approach to the Sahara issue remains a significant challenge in this relationship, alongside Madrid’s recent inclination to strengthen its strategic cooperation with Mauritania and Morocco at Algeria’s expense.
