Algeria reacts to the opening of an Emirati consulate in Laayoune

On October 27, and during a phone call with King Mohammed VI, the Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces Mohamed Ben Zayed announced that his country will open a consulate in Laayoune.

On Sunday, November 1, the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs addressed the Emirati decision. Asked by journalists about the opening of said Emirati consulate, Sabri Boukadoum replied : «You have to see what international law says».

«Algeria has its policy, it does not insult nor call out. It goes straight to the point without worrying about others. We have our principles and we will not abandon them. We are not afraid of anyone», the minister added. «The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is a member of the African Union and has full sovereignty over its territories», he claimed.

Algiers has always condemned the opening of African consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla. Nevertheless, it did not say much when Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, Zambia and the Kingdom of Eswatini recently opened diplomatic representations in the Sahara.