The official Algerian news agency denied what it called the allegations currently being circulated by some media outlets regarding Algeria's retreat from freezing its commercial relations with Spain.
And the agency described, in a statement yesterday, Saturday, this matter as "unfounded, because no official news has been issued in this regard by the competent authorities or bodies."
The agency stated that "decisions related to financial and commercial issues related to the state's obligations are taken at the level of the Council of Ministers, or by the Ministry of Finance or the Bank of Algeria, and are announced through official channels."
The agency added that decisions related to financial and economic issues, especially those related to Algeria's relations with its trading partners, fall within the exclusive powers of the state, and not within the competence of professional organizations.
The statement explained that the Association of Banks and Financial Institutions, which was mentioned in the media reports of some media outlets, cannot replace the state institutions in charge of finance, economy and foreign trade, because they are "just an association of a professional nature that defends the interests of its members."
It is noteworthy that Algeria decided on the eighth of last June to freeze trade and to "immediately" suspend the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation concluded on the eighth of November 2002 with Spain.
The dispute began after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told members of Parliament to stick to a decision he had last March, providing for support for the autonomy initiative proposed by Morocco in the disputed Sahara region.
According to official statistics for the year 2021, Spain's exports to Algeria amounted to 2.107 billion dollars, and imports 2.762 billion dollars.