Spain Is Looking For A Way To Manufacture Ceramics

Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, is expected to pay an official visit to Algeria, here on Tuesday, and participate in the seventh high-level bilateral meeting and a forum for businessmen of both countries, as the import restrictions and their effects on Spanish ceramics and energy issues will be at the top of the agenda.

According to the APS, Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, and at the invitation of Prime Minister, Ahmed Ouyahia, will arrive in Algeria Tuesday to participate in the 7th session of the Algerian-Spanish high-level meeting.

It explained that he will organize an Algerian-Spanish business forum on the sidelines of this joint high-level ministerial meeting.

The seventh high-level meeting between Algeria and Spain comes at a time when the ceramics industry in this European country was affected by Algeria’s suspension of imports of these products as it was the fifth global destination for Spanish exporters.

The Spanish ceramics industry pressurized Algeria through letters to Algeria’s ambassador to Madrid, Taous Ferroukhi, to open the door for imports, then the chairman of the Association of Producers intervened to calm the atmosphere when he asserted that the manufacturers did not want to confront Algeria but only to find a solution to the crisis.

The pressure then turned to an attempt to extortion through the Algerian gas that is imported by Spain in return for opening the door to imports of ceramics again, claiming that the Algerian gas runs the production at the factories of Castillon and stopping the imports of Algeria will slow the production and with it the consumption of Algerian gas.

Energy issues will also be present during this visit, especially as Algeria covers about 50% of Spain’s natural gas needs through the gas pipelines linking Algeria to Madrid.

The summit between the two countries is being held in the shadow of the tragic events of Archidona prison in the southern city of Malaga, which led to the death of a young Algerian, Mohamed Bouderbala, 37, in mysterious circumstances, amid the Spanish authorities’ assertion that he had committed suicide.

According to the Spanish news agency EFE, the Prime Minister will be accompanied by an important delegation including the Foreign Minister, Alfonso Dastis, Defense Minister, Maria Dolores de Cospedal, Interior Minister, Juan Ignacio Zoido, Energy, Tourism and Digitization, and State Comptroller for Education, Trade, Research and Innovation.

The same source confirmed that the visit does not include receiving the Spanish official by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.