Spain and Algeria are moving to reset their relationship after years of diplomatic strain, as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez made his first visit to Algiers in four years in a bid to deepen ties and seal new cooperation agreements.
The visit on the 20th of July 2026 came after a prolonged rapprochement process that began in 2023 and picked up pace in early 2026, when Algeria reactivated its Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation with Spain after suspending it in 2022 over Madrid’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune described the talks as “fruitful” and “frank”, saying the visit gave bilateral relations a “new impetus”. An Algerian government statement said the engagement reflected a shared commitment to “strengthen bilateral cooperation and broaden areas of joint action in a way that serves the interests of both countries”.
Energy cooperation is central to the reset. Algeria is already the main supplier of gas to Spain, and both sides have been working to expand long‑term supply arrangements and attract Spanish investment in Algerian energy infrastructure. Sánchez was accompanied on the trip by Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and senior executives from Spanish energy firms Repsol and Naturgy, underscoring the commercial stakes in the relationship.
The visit also marks the highest‑level political engagement between the two countries since they began rebuilding ties after the 2022 dispute over Western Sahara. Last March, Foreign Minister Albares met President Tebboune in Algiers, and Algeria subsequently announced the reactivation of the friendship treaty, which had been suspended along with the recall of its ambassador and a freeze on certain commercial exchanges.
Both governments now describe the relationship as entering a “new phase”, with regular high‑level contacts restored and a focus on practical cooperation in energy, business and regional issues. Officials say the aim is not only to repair past tensions but also to lock in a more stable, long‑term strategic partnership between Madrid and Algiers.
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