Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to make official visit to Spain this month

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is preparing to receive Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Madrid later this month. The visit marks a significant diplomatic step, coming immediately after the high-level Morocco–Spain meeting chaired this week by Aziz Akhannouch, and amid heightened sensitivity over the Western Sahara issue following the recent UN Security Council vote.

According to Spanish media, Tebboune’s trip, currently being arranged «at the highest level», is part of Madrid’s efforts to strike a delicate balance in its relations with both Rabat and Algiers. The Spanish government is seeking to rebuild trust and revive political and economic exchanges with each side after years of tension triggered by Sánchez’s shift in support of Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara.

At the same time, the Spanish government is expected to approve the appointment of diplomat Ramiro Fernández Bachiller as the new ambassador to Algeria, replacing Fernando Morán Calvo-Sotelo. The move is seen as an important diplomatic signal ahead of Tebboune’s visit.

These efforts come as trade relations between Spain and Algeria have yet to fully recover, despite the end of an economic crisis that «cost Spanish companies an estimated €3.2 billion». Visa restrictions also remain a major point of friction, alongside an unprecedented rise in irregular migration to the Balearic Islands from Algeria’s coast this summer, according to the same sources.