Algeria Severs Diplomatic Ties With UAE
Algeria Severs Diplomatic Ties With UAE
The News
Algeria is severing diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, its foreign ministry announced Thursday, blaming a series of "provocative or hostile" actions by Abu Dhabi that continued despite repeated warnings.
The ministry said it had "exhausted all means of preserving bilateral relations." Bloomberg reported Algeria said it acted after exhausting "all available avenues" for maintaining ties.
The Emirati ambassador was summoned to the ministry, told of the decision and given 48 hours to comply, Al Jazeera reported. There was no immediate comment from the UAE.
Why It Matters to Americans
The two governments sit on opposite sides of the US-brokered Abraham Accords. The UAE and Algeria's regional rival Morocco established diplomatic ties with Israel under the 2020 accords; Algeria opposes normalization with Israel.
Timeline
The UAE and Morocco establish diplomatic relations with Israel under the US-brokered Abraham Accords. Algeria opposes normalization.
In a televised interview, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune says of the UAE: "Wherever they set foot, blood flows," adding the Gulf state has had a "very negative impact." He says a diplomatic break "would have happened long ago" had Algeria not sought to avoid "deepening divisions" in the Arab world.
Algerian state media report the government is cutting diplomatic ties. The foreign ministry summons the Emirati ambassador and gives him 48 hours to comply.
Reactions
Tebboune has repeatedly attacked the UAE in public, calling it a "micro-state" or "statelet" seeking to destabilize countries in the region, according to Al Jazeera.
"We want them to stay away, so that blood does not flow in our country," he said in July.
The UAE had not responded publicly as of Thursday.
What's Next
The 48-hour deadline given to the Emirati ambassador is the immediate marker. Whether Abu Dhabi answers with a reciprocal expulsion or stays silent will set the tone.
More
Relations have been strained for years as the two took opposing positions on regional disputes.
They are on opposite sides of the decades-old Western Sahara conflict: the UAE backs Morocco's claim to sovereignty over the territory, where it has a consulate, while Algeria supports the Polisario Front, which seeks an independent Western Sahara.
Their interests have also collided in the Sahel, where the UAE has expanded ties with several governments in recent years while Algeria's relations with some southern neighbors soured after a run of military coups.
Poll
Should Washington try to mediate between Algeria and the UAE?
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