Rabat – Morocco and Russia have discussed bilateral ties on the sidelines of the high-level week of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
In a statement on Saturday, the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry said Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on September 25.
“The meeting discussed priority issues related to further strengthening traditionally friendly Russian-Moroccan relations,” the statement said.
The ministry emphasized that broad-based cooperation is developing in accordance with the letter and spirit of the Declaration on Enhanced Strategic Partnership that the two countries signed in 2016.
The statement also conveyed the two parties’ commitment to maintaining effective foreign policy coordination on different issues, including efforts to resolve the Western Sahara issue and other ongoing conflicts.
Russia maintains an ambiguous political position on Western Sahara to safeguard its geopolitical interests, particularly with Algeria.
Moscow actively says that its position is balanced, despite Algeria remaining its strongest ally in the region and one of the largest buyers of Russian arms.
Russia continues to claim neutrality in its position despite weaponizing this approach at the UN Security Council, abstaining from voting on MINURSO resolutions.
Russia also pushes for draft amendments to appease Algeria’s regime.
Morocco’s Western Sahara position continues to receive support from over 130 countries in the international community, which view the Autonomy Plan as the only or the most realistic and feasible political solution to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
Last year in October, days before the vote on Resolution 2797 by the UN Security Council, Russia’s Lavrov announced what reports described as a geopolitical shift in Moscow’s position.
Lavrov said the Sahara dispute has been on the table for five decades, with the Russian foreign minister stating that the “Autonomy Plan proposed by Morocco could be a successful solution if it has the agreement of the parties concerned and is supervised by the UN.”
Russia emphasizes that Moscow is ready to support the autonomy initiative provided it is approved by all other parties to the dispute.
US senior advisor Massad Boulos renewed the importance of the historic Resolution 2797 of October 2025, which calls for negotiations on the basis of Morocco’s Autonomy Plan to end the dispute.
Boulos reiterated the importance of the resolution in a new interview with France 24, in which he also acknowledged that Algeria-backed Polisario continues to obstruct the UN-led political process over Western Sahara.
He said there is no feedback from Polisario, which is financed, backed, armed, and supported by Algeria’s regime to challenge Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces.
Despite the momentum secured in Morocco’s Sahara position, Algeria’s regime continues to refuse its responsibility in the dispute.
The UN Security Council will meet at the end of October to vote on a new resolution, with Washington pushing for efforts aimed at ending the dispute once and for all.
