Algeria and Spain vowed to deepen cooperation in counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and irregular migration during a high-level meeting in Algiers on Monday.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska’s visit marked the first by a Spanish official since diplomatic ties soured in 2022 over Madrid’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan in Western Sahara. The dispute had suspended bilateral cooperation, freezing years of close security coordination.
Algerian Interior Minister Said Sayoud described the talks as “an opportunity to exchange views and perspectives on threats requiring joint efforts,” highlighting terrorism and migration as shared concerns.
He said the dialogue aimed to advance “a strategy for enhancing counterterrorism and cybersecurity cooperation and developing sustainable solutions to irregular migration challenges.”
Sayoud revealed that Algerian authorities intercepted nearly 100,000 irregular migrants in 2024, preventing their movement toward Africa and Europe, underscoring the scale of the crisis facing the region.
He praised the outcomes of the Joint Security Cooperation Committee held earlier in Madrid, which paved the way for agreements on sharing technology to detect forged documents and creating specialized intelligence centres to fight transnational organized crime.
Grande-Marlaska commended Algeria’s role as “a key partner for Spain in all security matters,” stressing the importance of unity in facing cross-border threats.
“We confront common challenges and have no option but to work together to be more effective in combating human trafficking networks,” he said, signalling a cautious but significant step toward restoring trust between the two Mediterranean partners.