- The Minister of Economy, Nadia Calviño, spoke about the influence of Russia in this diplomatic incident.
 |
| The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares. |
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, has sought to defuse the crisis with Algeria after the last angry reaction of this country through its official agency, although his cabinet partner Luis Planas points out that Russia may be behind the diplomatic turn of the Maghreb country.
Albares intervenes this Thursday in an act in Malaga after a visit to New Delhi, where yesterday he did not want to comment on the editorial of the official Algerian news agency questioning the use by Spain of the "Russian ghost" and recalling that the change of position in the Sahara issue precipitated the crisis.
Albares limited himself to saying that what Spain is seeking is to resolve the crisis through "dialogue and diplomacy" and to have "the best possible relationship" with that country. In addition, he guaranteed that he will defend Spanish companies, the interests of citizens, and the country.
However, the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, abounded hours before in the thesis pointed out this week by the Minister of Economy, Nadia Calviño, on the influence of Russia in this diplomatic incident. Planas remarked that Algeria is receiving "pressure from other countries" that are influencing its relationship with Spain.
Third-party pressure
In this context, Minister Planas noted that the recent visits by the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, and the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, "mean something", although he trusted that "common sense will prevail" in bilateral relations.
"It is evident that in the current geopolitical framework there are pressures from other countries" and "more so in the context" of the "historic" NATO summit to be held in Madrid at the end of June, says Planas, who He was ambassador to Morocco.
In addition, he stressed that the war in Ukraine "is influencing many things in the world, much more than we think" in addition to on the battlefield, such as Russia's accusation that the EU is responsible for supply problems of cereals from African countries.
"Don't raise the tone"
The Third Vice President and Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, also intervened in the matter, describing as unacceptable the qualifications that the official news agency of Algeria has dedicated to Albares.
The vice president lamented that a media outlet could make such comments against a minister from a neighboring country with whom there has been a "very intense relationship for decades" and with whom they want to normalize the relationship since she understands that "they do not circumstances give" so that there is a reaction of these characteristics maintained over time.
The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Commerce, Reyes Maroto, who coincides today in Malaga with Albares, also spoke in that line this Wednesday and has advocated not raising the tone to try to redirect relations "as soon as possible", a few words practically the same as those used by Nadia Calviño.
"Our interest as a country is to have the best relations with our neighbors, and very particularly with Morocco and Algeria," said Calviño on Wednesday, who is confident that an excellent relationship situation will be restored.
Breaking of the Treaty of Friendship
The PP, for its part, has proposed to the Government a state pact on foreign affairs and defense and has expressed its "concern" about the crisis with Algeria "and its uncertain consequences" or about the "lack of unanimity within the Government" with respect to NATO and warns that these types of events "suffer the external image" of Spain.
Algeria announced on June 8 the breaking of the Treaty of Friendship with Spain and later launched economic measures such as the suspension of bank transfers between the two countries, although, after threats from the EU, Algeria assured that it would respect the supply agreements of gas.
The origin of the tensions between Spain and Algeria lies in the change in the Spanish position on Western Sahara, after last March the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, supported the Moroccan proposal for autonomy for that territory, a former colony of Spanish.
Until then, Spain had supported a self-determination referendum for the Saharawi people sponsored by the United Nations.