DUBAI,— Algeria has cut diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates, state media reported Thursday, saying the two countries had reached the “exhaustion of all means to preserve bilateral ties.” No further explanation was given for the break.

The UAE’s Foreign Ministry had not issued a statement on the matter as of Thursday.

Algerian outlets have long taken aim at the UAE, claiming it works to stir up tension across the region.

Last year, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said his nation enjoyed friendly relations with every Gulf country but one, a comment widely seen as pointing to the UAE.

He called ties with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar “brotherly,” while charging the unnamed nation with interfering in Algeria’s domestic matters and trying to weaken the state.

The rift deepened in February, when Algeria moved to cancel air services agreement with the UAE that had been signed in Abu Dhabi back in May 2013.

The two nations have repeatedly landed on opposite sides of regional disputes.

Their sharpest disagreement involves Western Sahara, where Algeria backs the Polisario Front’s push for self-rule, while the UAE became the first Arab nation to open a consulate in the Moroccan-held territory in 2020, backing Rabat’s claim.

Similar splits have emerged over Libya and Sudan, where each country has thrown support behind rival factions.

(With files from Reuters, Agencies)

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