Algeria cuts diplomatic ties with the UAE

By Jana Choukeir

Sept 10 (Reuters) - Algeria abruptly severed ‌diplomatic relations with the ​United Arab Emirates ​on Thursday, citing what it described as a series of "provocative or hostile" actions by Abu Dhabi but giving no specific reason for the move.

The UAE hoped Algeria's decision to cut diplomatic ties would be temporary, its ‌foreign ministry said in a statement later in the day, adding that Abu Dhabi remained committed to ⁠preserving ties between the two countries' peoples and shared interests.

Relations between the two countries have come under growing strain in recent years, with Algerian media outlets ‌sharply criticising the UAE and accusing it ‌of seeking to sow regional discord.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirms the UAE’s appreciation for the brotherly Algerian people and its pride in the bonds that unite the two peoples, particularly through the Algerian community residing in the UAE and Algerian ​visitors," the ministry said.

The Algerian foreign ministry said the UAE's actions had reached a point where they could no longer be considered acceptable or tolerable and that it had "exhausted all means of preserving bilateral relations."

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE ⁠president, said on X that diplomatic relations should be based on "rationality, communication and clarity of interests", rather than "riddles and signals that require decoding".

Gargash, who did not explicitly mention Algeria ​or link his comments to its decision, said successful diplomacy depended on clear positions and the effective management of interests and disagreements.

Following its decision to cut diplomatic ties with the UAE, Algeria will ​close its airspace to all UAE-registered civilian and military aircraft from Friday, ‌Ennahar TV reported, citing the Algerian defence ministry.

UAE commercial flights to and from Algiers will be exempt from the ban until the end of 2026, when the current contract expires, the ministry added.

DIFFERING ⁠POSITIONS ON REGIONAL ISSUES

The UAE ambassador was summoned to Algeria's foreign ministry, informed of the decision and given 48 hours to comply, the ministry said.

Algeria and the UAE have taken differing positions on several regional issues. Algeria opposes normalisation with Israel, while the UAE and Algeria's regional rival Morocco ⁠established diplomatic ties with Israel under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020.

The two countries are also on opposing sides of the decades-old Western Sahara dispute. ​The UAE supports Morocco's claim to sovereignty over the territory where it has a consulate, while Algeria backs the Polisario Front, which seeks an independent Western Sahara.

The two countries' interests have increasingly intersected in the Sahel, where the UAE has expanded ties with several governments in recent years, while ‌Algeria's relations with some of its southern neighbours have become strained following a series of military coups.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said last year his country's relations with all Gulf states were warm ‌except for one — a thinly veiled reference to the UAE.

He described ties with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar as "brotherly", while accusing the unnamed country ⁠of meddling in Algeria's internal affairs and seeking ‌to destabilise it.

In February, Algeria began the ​process of cancelling an air services agreement with the UAE that was signed in Abu Dhabi in May 2013.

(Reporting by Jana Choukeir, additional reporting by Yomna Ehab; Editing by Peter Graff, Timothy Heritage, Ros Russell ‌and Susan Fenton)

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