Hassan Jibril
22 March 2023•Update: 22 March 2023
ALGIERS, Algeria
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune expressed his regret that relations with neighboring Morocco have reached a point of “no return.”
“We regret that the relations between Algeria and Morocco had reached a point of no return, Algeria's position was a reaction,” Tebboune told Al Jazeera channel in an interview on Tuesday evening.
In August 2021, Algeria severed diplomatic relations with Morocco, accusing Rabat of having "hostile tendencies," an accusation denied by Moroccan authorities.
As for the Ukrainian crisis, Tebboune said his country "is qualified to play the role of mediator, as it is one of the countries that has sufficient credibility for it."
He stressed that his visit to Russia is still ongoing, and will take place next May at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
As for the diplomatic crisis with France, Tebboune said relations with Paris are "fluctuating," but confirmed that the Algerian ambassador will return to France within days after he was summoned for consultations weeks ago.
Regarding the crisis with Spain, the Algerian president said the new Spanish government's position on the Western Sahara conflict is "individual and biased from the Sanchez government."
In March 2022, Algeria recalled its ambassador from Spain in protest of the Spanish support to the Moroccan self-rule proposal.
Algeria supports independence for Western Sahara and the issue has caused deep tensions between Morocco and Algeria for years.
*Ikram Kouachi contributed to this report
