Italy refuses to help Spain with Algeria gas negotiations

Italy has reportedly declined to assist Spain in its negotiations with Algeria over gas supply disagreements, according to El Espanol newspaper. The newspaper claims, citing government sources, that “before flying to India on Tuesday night, Albares had spent days contacting his Italian counterpart Luigi di Maio, to ask him for a joint action with the government of Abdelmajid Tebboune.” But according to the same source, the Spanish FM received a refusal from Italy, which conveyed before “in a diplomatic manner” that Spain’s disagreements with Algeria were “a bilateral matter of each State’s relations with Algeria, and not of the Union as a whole.” Last Wednesday, June 8, Algeria declared that the Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighborliness with Spain had been broken, which solicited ample outrage from both Spain and the European Union. The following Thursday, the North African country raised tensions, suspending commercial activities. Although Alberes softened the blow with the help of the European Commission, “he has failed in his attempt at joint action with Italy,” says El Espagnol, citing government sources. Algeria’s unilateral decisions against Spain have all occurred following the latter’s recent public and formal support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara. Despite assuring on multiple occasions that the Sahara dispute is a bilateral issue between Morocco and the Polisario seperatist group, Algeria has resorted to an arsenal of pressure tactics to push Spain to retrieve its support. Last month, Tebboune went to Rome on May 26 and 27 for a state visit, and assured his government’s commitment to supplying Italy with much-needed natural gas, to substitute Russian imports. As of this time, 40% of Italy’s gas imports, or about 30 billion cubic meters, come from Russia. The diversification of foreign purchases has become an imperative for Rome since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. Diplomatic relations between both countries have since taken a new relevance, prompting Spain to attempt a reconciliation through its union partner, to counter the possible cancellation of the Spanish-Algeria gas deal, as was the case with the Algerian-Moroccan pipeline late last year.