An announced visit by Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares to Algiers never took place, due to what Spanish media ascribe to the conflicting agenda of Tebboune. According to analysts, the visit could have signaled a rapprochement between the two countries after Algiers protested at the sovereign decision of Madrid to back Morocco on the Sahara issue. Albares conditioned his visit on a meeting with president Tebboune, the latter declined and insisted that Albares meets his foreign minister Ahmed Attaf. Algeria has in late 2021 reduced gas flows to Spain when it halted the flow through the pipeline crossing Morocco. It then threatened to cut gas exports to Spain altogether if Madrid sells Algerian gas to Morocco.
