HIBAPRESS
In an unprecedented move in the political discourse at the level of heads of states, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune described the United Arab Emirates as a "small state" on Saturday evening, in the context of the crisis in relations between the two countries.
Tebboune said during his regular media interview, which was broadcast on Algerian official television, that his country's relations with Arab countries are good, with the exception of "a state, if I don't call it a small state, is still causing problems, and wanted to interfere in our first and second elections, and interfere in many matters." He added that this "small state" is threatening to resort to international arbitration, without specifying exactly the reason that made Abu Dhabi allude to this matter, asking them to "go to arbitration," before concluding: "Don't make me regret the day I knew you." Tebboune's statement came while he was talking about small Arab countries, where he used a description that was considered offensive, although the area of the United Arab Emirates exceeds the area of seven Arab countries, namely Lebanon, Palestine, Djibouti, the Comoros, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, and its area is also close to the area of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. This statement is an unprecedented precedent in the statements of heads of state, in view of the diplomatic norms that govern relations between countries, which are based on mutual respect and non-reduction of the sovereignty of any country, regardless of its geographical area.
