Spain PM Sanchez visits Algeria for first time in four years as ties thaw

What the report says

France 24, citing AFP, reported that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez traveled to Algiers on Monday, July 20, 2026, for his first visit to Algeria in four years, signaling an effort to repair relations damaged by Spain’s policy shift on Western Sahara. Sanchez was received by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune at El Mouradia Palace, where the two leaders discussed restoring momentum to bilateral ties.

The diplomatic rupture began in 2022, when Madrid moved away from its long-held neutral position on Western Sahara and supported Morocco’s sovereignty plan for the disputed territory, a former Spanish colony. Algeria, which supports the pro-independence Polisario Front, responded by suspending a 2002 friendship treaty, recalling its ambassador and freezing banking operations tied to trade with Spain. France 24 reported that commercial links began improving last year, and Algeria reactivated the treaty in March.

Energy featured prominently in the visit. Sanchez, accompanied by senior Spanish energy executives, described Algeria as a strategic partner and said it was Spain’s largest natural gas supplier this year. Tebboune said the talks were frank and productive, and that the agenda covered energy, Spanish investment in Algeria, migration and Western Sahara.

The visit matters because it points to a cautious normalization between two Mediterranean neighbors with significant economic and security interests. While the Western Sahara dispute remains unresolved and politically sensitive, both governments appear to be seeking practical cooperation, especially on trade and energy, after several years of strained relations.