Algeria snubs France from wheat tenders over Sahara row
Relations between Algeria and France appear to be fraying, despite just recently Emmanuel Macron signing off the arrest warrants for Algerian separatists living in France, members of MAK. According to Reuters, the Algerian government has reacted quite badly to France recognizing Western Sahara.
As an act of petulance, if not revenge, Algeria has scratched France off the tenders’ list for possible entities to sell wheat to the North African country, aligned to Russia, Reuters reported on October 9th. The stunt actually punishes Paris for its warmer relations with Morocco while at the same time giving more business to Russia via the Black Sea.
READ: Algeria ends efforts to fully join BRICS
President Tebboune, who has just won another term in office after a thundering landslide at the polls, recently raised tensions even higher with neighbouring Morocco by enforcing tighter visa regulations, a move he insists is not a gesture of irreverence to Morocco and its elite but more to do with cracking down on criminals and spies.
UPDATE: Algeria’s purchases of Russian wheat could be 3 million metric tons this season after a big part of 510,000 tons bought by Algeria’s government in a tender on Oct. 8 was awarded to Russia, Russia’s trade mission in Algeria has claimed.
“If the current trend continues, Russian grain supplies to Algeria could reach 3 million tons by the end of the season,” the trade mission said in a statement.
Reuters/Maghrebi
