Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune addresses attendees during an inauguration ceremony at the presidential palace in Algiers, Algeria, on Thursday, December 19, 2019. -
Copyright © africanews
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Algeria
On Thursday, Algeria announced the severance of diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates after years of escalating tensions, with Algiers accusing Abu Dhabi of meddling in both national and regional matters.
"Algeria has opted to terminate its diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates, following the depletion of all avenues to maintain bilateral relations," declared Algeria's state television.
Algiers has instructed the UAE ambassador to Algeria to leave within 48 hours "to adhere to the decision".
President Abdelmajid Tebboune has frequently labeled the UAE in his addresses as a "micro-state" or "statelet" that aims to destabilize multiple nations in the region.
"Wherever they go, bloodshed follows," he remarked in a televised conversation in July, adding that the UAE has exerted a "very detrimental influence".
"We wish for them to refrain from involvement, so that blood does not spill in our land," he continued.
Previously, Tebboune stated that a diplomatic rupture "would have occurred much earlier" if Algeria had not aimed to prevent "further divisions" within the Arab world.
Additional sources • AFP
