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Rabat – Russia is reiterating its traditional position to appear consistent in the Western Sahara dispute.
This comes amid clear frustration from both Algeria and Polisario following the UN Security Council’s historic vote on Resolution 2797, which explicitly endorsed Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the genuine political solution to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
On Sunday, Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement to clarify its decision to abstain during the vote, saying it was because the “process to coordinate the resolution lacked transparency and was needlessly fast-tracked, which made it impossible for all the amendments to be taken into consideration.”
Moscow, however, emphasized that it supports the renewal of the MINURSO mandate for a one-year term, stressing its role in promoting stability in the region.
Russia also renewed support for the UN Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, in achieving a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable resolution for the dispute.
Russia’s stance was expected by observers closely following the dispute, given its history with the US and its decades-long alliance with Algeria.
However, Moscow’s decision not to use a veto or force the UNSC to amend the resolution to Algeria’s liking shows momentum towards Morocco’s position. By abstaining, Moscow wants to avoid frustrating ts longtime Algerian ally further, despite signs that the Russian government is keen to further deepen ties with Rabat.
In October, Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov met in Moscow with Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita as part of a high-level visit.
During the meeting, the two officials discussed several regional dossiers, including Western Sahara.
“We exchanged assessments on current international issues, paying priority attention to the situation in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Sahara-Sahel region, and also discussed the situation regarding Western Sahara in the context of ongoing UN Security Council discussions,” Lavrov said in a press conference with Bourita on their visit.
He reiterated the same position, following remarks he made earlier in October, where he said that Russia will accept the autonomy as a successful political solution to the dispute, contending that all agree on the initiative as the best framework forward.
During his meeting with Bourita, Lavrov pledged more talks on Western Sahara.
The meeting signaled that Russia’s position could shift toward positive neutrality or even support for Morocco’s autonomy initiative.
In a special speech following the vote on Friday, King Mohammed VI thanked several countries for their decision to recognize Morocco’s economic sovereignty over its southern provinces, including Russia.
“Furthermore, recognition of the Kingdom’s economic sovereignty over the southern provinces has increased significantly, following the decisions made by major economic powers, such as the United States, France, Britain, Russia, Spain, and the European Union, to encourage investment and trade with these provinces,” the King said.
In an interview with Moroccan television channel 2M on Sunday, Bourita recalled major landmark events that Morocco secured recently, including the signing of the Morocco-Russia maritime fishing deal that includes southern provinces on October 17.
He said that the UNSC vote on Resolution 2797 makes the autonomy plan a solution rather than merely a proposal as before.
Despite the well-documented momentum, Algeria’s regime claim that Morocco failed to make the autonomy plan the exclusive framework for resolving the dispute, and that the approved Resolution 2797 leaves room for so-called “alternative options,” arguing that the text reaffirmed the “right to self-determination” under international law.
