The EU maintains contacts with Algeria to analyze the impact of the suspension of agreements with Spain

BRUSSELS, June 13 (EUROPA PRESS) -

The European Union has affirmed this Monday that it maintains contacts with the Algerian authorities to analyze the impact of the suspension of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborhood and Cooperation that it maintained until now with Spain, once again prioritizing the diplomatic route to the pulse raised by Algiers.

After the EU warned that the decision could violate the Association Agreement with the community bloc and that it is willing to "face any type of coercive measure" taken by Algeria, the EU Foreign Affairs spokeswoman, Nabila Massrali , assured at a press conference in Brussels that community diplomacy continues the dialogue and contacts with the authorities of the Maghreb country to assess the situation.

"We want to promote dialogue to resolve differences and the High Representative is ready to provide support if necessary," explained the spokeswoman. At the time, she has avoided commenting on whether Algeria took a step back from its pulse last Friday when it responded to the EU that its analysis on the freezing of trade relations was "hasty and unfounded" and denied that it had taken measures to cut the Payments.

European sources point out that the EU first wants to analyze in depth the consequences of Algeria's announcement and avoid responding to the accusations, assuring that it is first important to establish the facts regarding the step taken. In any case, they avoid considering the case closed and advance that the EU could make its response known once it has studied the situation.

Algeria announced on Wednesday the suspension of the good neighborly treaty with Spain, in force since 2002, while announcing the freezing of direct debits for foreign trade operations of products to and from Spain as of this Thursday. Algiers justifies the retaliation in the "unjustifiable" support of the Government of Pedro Sánchez for Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara.

This Monday, the First Vice President of the Government and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño, has gone a step further, linking Algeria's decision to its growing relationship with Russia, an extreme that Brussels has avoided commenting on when asked. the spokeswoman if she believes that Vladimir Putin's regime has been able to intervene to intensify tensions with Spain.