Algeria denies deteriorated relations with Saudi

An Algerian official denied reports that the country’s relations with Saudi Arabia had deteriorated over the issue of evacuating Algerian citizens from Yemen, stressing that “relations between both countries are distinctive and strong”.

In a statement issued by the Algerian foreign ministry yesterday, spokesman Abdul Aziz Bin Ali Sharif said: “There was no misunderstanding between Algeria and Saudi Arabia. The relationship is strong, distinctive and deep-rooted. They are in continuous development.”

Sharif said that the evacuation of the Algerian citizens from Yemen was conducted with complete cooperation with Saudi Arabia and the other countries.

Earlier, Algerian mass media claimed that the Algerian pilot of the airliner, which evacuated 160 Algerians from Yemen, said that there was hostility among Saudis towards Algerians because of Algeria’s refusal to join the “Operation Storm of Resolve”.

Sharif said that the Algerian plane encountered technical problems which caused it to land in Cairo. A sand storm delayed the evacuation of other citizens.

The Algerian official stressed that Saudi Arabia assisted in the evacuation of the Algerian citizens.