Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has named two additional deputy chiefs for the country’s embassies in Morocco and Algeria. La Razón Reports indicate that Álvaro Ortega, who is presently based in Algiers, along with Pedro Jiménez Nácher, the REPER coordinator for Spain’s permanent representation to the EU, will assume their new roles in Rabat and Algiers beginning in August.
The appointments, scheduled to become official in April, encompass roles categorized as "personally designated," implying direct assignment from the minister. These placements were initiated through requests from the diplomats involved and have largely garnered positive feedback within Spain's diplomatic community. This approval comes despite growing disagreements between these professionals and the Ministry’s strategic guidelines over recent years.
Pedro Jiménez Nácher, set to retire in about three years, was an ambassador to Latvia between 2014 and 2018. Similarly aged to Albares, Álvaro Ortega gained valuable experience in Rabat and once occupied the crucial post of Deputy Director-General for Political Affairs at the ministry. Additionally, his father had a distinguished career including service as an ambassador to Morocco and holding the position of Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs.
The diplomatic realignment in these two key cities of the Maghreb region occurs against a backdrop of significant regional sensitivity. Relations between Algiers and Rabat have grown tense over the past few months, accompanied by an escalating arms competition between the adjacent nations.
In 2022, when the Spanish government backed Morocco’s proposal for autonomous governance in Western Sahara, it sparked tensions with Algiers, which has long supported the Polisario Front. Nonetheless, recent top-level diplomatic discussions indicate a potential easing of hostilities between Spain and Algeria.
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