Algeria has announced it is severing diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates. Algerian state media reported the news on Thursday, September 10, noting that the decision was made after the exhaustion of all possibilities for maintaining bilateral relations.
The reports did not provide specific reasons for the decision. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the UAE did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Context of strained relations
Algerian media have previously criticized the UAE on several occasions, accusing the country of attempting to sow discord in the region.
Last year, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune stated that his country’s relations with all Gulf states were warm, with the exception of one. He described ties with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar as brotherly, while accusing an unnamed country of interfering in Algeria‘s internal affairs and attempting to destabilize the nation. That statement was a veiled reference to the UAE.
Tensions between the two nations escalated in February when Algeria began the process of canceling an air transport agreement with the UAE that had been signed in Abu Dhabi in May 2013.
Source: The Straits Times
