MADRID - Algeria's decision to suspend a friendship treaty with Spain last week was not surprising because Algiers is increasingly aligning itself with Russia, Spanish Economy Minister Nadia Calvino said on Monday. Calvino said she had noticed a growing rapprochement between Algeria and Russia at the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund in April. "I saw back then that Algeria was more and more aligned with Russia, so this (decision to suspend the treaty) didn't surprise me," Calvino said in an interview with Radio Catalunya. After Algeria's decision, Madrid has tried to convince the North African country to backtrack. "I hope that Algeria will reconsider its position and the statements it has made," Calvino told reporters in Barcelona.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 13, 2022 09:57 UTC