Spain has postponed the high-level meeting with Algeria that was due to be held in Madrid on 20 October, as it prepares for the royal visit to Ceuta and Melilla, Spanish news site The Objective reported on Friday, citing diplomatic sources.
According to the sources, the Spanish government informed Algiers of the decision unexpectedly in recent hours, leaving the summit between Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune suspended indefinitely.
The same sources suggested that preparations for the King and Queen's visit to Ceuta and Melilla, following the migration crisis, weighed on the decision, as holding the summit with Algeria at the same time would amount to a double slight to Morocco in barely a week.
The meeting was to be followed the next day by a business meeting and other official activities. The Spanish outlet described the move as opening a diplomatic crisis with Algeria.
The postponement has not been officially confirmed. The newspaper said the Spanish government's Secretariat of State for Communication did not respond when asked on Thursday to confirm it, while Algiers has not commented publicly.
Sánchez visited Algiers on 20 July, where the two leaders agreed to hold the eighth Spain-Algeria High-Level Meeting in October, preceded by political consultations between the two governments, according to La Moncloa, the Spanish Prime Minister's Office.
During that visit, Sánchez described Algeria as a strategic partner and not only a neighbouring country, while Madrid highlighted Algeria's position as Spain's main supplier of natural gas so far in 2026.
The two countries agreed at the time to strengthen their political dialogue and economic partnership, and to cooperate on migration, counterterrorism, energy, industry and infrastructure.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares met his Algerian counterpart Ahmed Attaf in New York last week, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, to prepare for the meeting. Albares said afterwards that Spain was continuing to strengthen its good relations with a neighbour and partner.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are due to visit Ceuta on 13 October and Melilla on 14 October, the first royal visit to the two cities since 2007, when Morocco recalled its ambassador in Madrid for consultations after a similar trip.
Relations between Madrid and Algiers deteriorated in 2022, when Algeria suspended its 20-year-old Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation with Spain after Madrid backed Morocco's autonomy plan for the Sahara.
In a joint declaration with Morocco in April 2022, Spain described the Moroccan autonomy initiative as the most serious, realistic and credible basis for resolving the dispute.
It should be noted that during the July visit to Algiers, the two countries agreed to hold the October summit and to put an end to the differences of recent years, according to the same Spanish outlet.
