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Rabat – The embassy of the Russian Federation in Egypt has requested the postponement of the 6th Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum scheduled to take place in Morocco on October 28.
A statement from the embassy conveyed Russia’s request to delay the forum to a later date in November or December due to a change in the agenda of Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The statement noted that the changes are also due to updates in President Vladimir Putin’s working schedule
It remains to be seen whether the Russian request is due to a potential crisis between Rabat and Moscow.
The decision to delay the event comes a few days after a meeting between Russia’s foreign deputy Sergey Vershinin with Morocco’s ambassador to Russia Lotfi Bouchara
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the meeting took place on October 7 to discuss several topics, including the Western Sahara conflict.
The meeting came a few days ahead of the Security Council meeting scheduled for the end of the month to discuss the terms of the mandate of MINURSO, the UN peacekeeping operation in the Western Sahara region.
No details have been unveiled online of the Vershinin-Bouchara talks, but many observers speculate a potential crisis between Rabat and Moscow.
Russia is a strong ally of Algeria, who buys most of its military equipment from Moscow.
The Russian federation has also historically maintained a pro-Algerian position on Western Sahara, although it has appeared on occasions in recent years to temper its default position and adopt a more ambiguous, diplomatically balanced take on the Sahara question.
Algeria shelters, arms, finances, trains, and backs the Polisario Front, a separatist group claiming independence in Western Sahara.
Diplomatic relations between Morocco and Russia are also seemingly normal as officials from both countries constantly hold meetings and consultations.
Russia’s Ministry of Foeign Affairs has notably renewed its support for a “lasting [political] solution” as the only possible means to end the Sahara conflict on the basis of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Last week, Morocco suspended flights to and from Russia over an increase in reported COVID cases in the country. The embassy of Russia in Rabat reported the news, emphasizing that the suspension of flights was at Moroccan authorities’ request.
Morocco, which has been under a state of emergency since March 2020, takes similar actions with countries where the epidemiological situation appears to be deteriorating.
Flights in transit through third countries are not subject to these restrictions, however.
The Russian embassy in Rabat has announced that it will repatriate Russian citizens from Morocco.
The repatriation flights started operating on October 9 and will run until the end of the month.
