Algeria broke diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, accusing Abu Dhabi of frequently taking what it described as “provocative or hostile” steps and stating all efforts to preserve bilateral ties had been exhausted.
The decision was made by Algeria on Thursday, September 10, in a sign of a sharp deterioration in relations between the two Arab countries who have maintained diplomatic ties since 1973.
Algeria’s Foreign Ministry has frequently cautioned the UAE over its conduct but it did not reply in a way that could avert a further escalation. Reports indicate that the Emirati ambassador in Algiers has been given 48 hours to depart Algeria.
The statement, aired by official television, said the decision came after “all means” of maintaining relations between the two countries had been exhausted.
Algiers did not mention any specific incident that produced the final rupture. Instead, it pointed to a pattern of actions it considers undesirable and antagonistic.
The move is a major escalation after months of increasingly strained relations.
Earlier, the two governments had moved to wind back co-operation. In February, Algeria began the process of ending a 2013 air-services deal with the UAE, yet another indication that diplomatic tensions had outstripped rhetoric.
Algeria-UAE relations have been strained by divergent stances on several significant regional issues.
The Western Sahara conflict is one of the most sensitive. Algeria has supported the Polisario Front and its call for self-determination, while the UAE has backed Morocco’s position on sovereignty over the disputed territory.
The two countries have also battled for influence in the wider Sahel and North Africa, adopting opposing viewpoints on regional wars and alliances.
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Israel has been another important topic of dispute.
Algeria has strongly resisted Arab countries normalising relations with Israel, while the UAE established diplomatic relations with Israel under the 2020 Abraham Accords.
The severing of diplomatic relations was not altogether unexpected.
Algeria has been raising alarms over what it calls foreign involvement and destabilising activity in the region. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had hinted at problems with a Gulf state in the past without always naming the UAE.
The conflict has flowed into commercial and aviation ties, with Algeria earlier this year starting to suspend its air-services agreement with the UAE.
But days before the diplomatic break, Algeria’s official foreign ministry website published details of a message from Tebboune to the president of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, describing the relationship between the two countries in notably friendly terms and referring to their shared desire to promote bilateral relations.
That makes Thursday’s announcement a particularly stark reversal in the relationship.
The UAE has not declared a reciprocal break in diplomatic relations.
After Algeria’s declaration, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said in a statement that diplomacy was about rational communication and clarity, Reuters reported.
The long-running confrontation involving Iran and Gulf states has also meant the UAE has been coping with a broader and more complex regional security environment.
Gargash said earlier this week the regional situation has become more complex and uncertain and Gulf governments needed greater strategic autonomy in confronting security concerns.
The termination of relations will probably have ramifications other than diplomatic representation, especially if the breakdown includes trade, aviation, investment and other forms of collaboration bilaterally.
Algeria and the UAE enjoy extensive economic ties in fields including energy, investment and transportation, and their peoples and businesses have longstanding links.
The diplomatic split also occurs at a particularly critical moment for the Arab world, with crises and geopolitical rivalry across the Middle East, North Africa and the Sahel.
Algeria’s action is one of the gravest diplomatic breakages between two Arab states in recent years and demonstrates just how deep the divisions over regional alliances, sovereignty and political power run.
The question in the immediate term is whether the UAE will reciprocate with diplomatic moves, or seek to avoid escalation of the disagreement.
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