Algeria Gate ; ALGIERS, July 20 Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez arrived in Algeria on Monday for his first official visit to the country since October 2020, aiming to cement a diplomatic thaw with Algiers after years of tension over Western Sahara.
Sánchez was welcomed at Houari Boumediene Airport by Algerian Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb, ahead of official talks with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who is set to host the Spanish leader for the visit’s central meeting.
Energy security tops the agenda. Algeria reclaimed its position as Spain’s top gas supplier in the first half of 2026, providing 33% of Spain’s total gas imports, according to grid operator Enagás. Sánchez’sdelegation includes the heads of Spain’s largest energy firms Naturgy, Repsol, Moeve, and Enagás signaling Madrid’s push to lock in long-term supply guarantees, including a possible expansion of the Medgaz pipeline. Talks are also expected to touch on renewable energy and green hydrogen cooperation.
Sánchez is accompanied by Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and Ecological Transition Minister Sara Aagesen. Beyond energy, Western Sahara and irregular migration remain sensitive items on the bilateral agenda, even as both governments emphasize economic cooperation publicly.
Trade between Algeria and Spain reached approximately €8.5 billion in 2025, with more than 100 Spanish companies now operating in the Algerian market still below pre-crisis levels but recovering steadily since the diplomatic rupture that followed Madrid’s 2022 shift on


