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Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is sending signals that it is heading towards supporting Morocco’s Autonomy plan offered for the Sahara under the Kingdom’s sovereignty.
Ahead of the UN Security Council meeting on the Sahara scheduled end of October, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said his country is ready to support the Moroccan autonomy plan which he described as a “form of self-determination” provided it is accepted by the parties to the conflict under the UN auspices.
The remarks made by the Russian FM during a meeting with Arab journalists held Monday in Moscow, are seen as a major shift in the position of Moscow which has always been cautious in its approach regarding the Sahara regional conflict.
According to some experts, Russia, which used to express reservations about the Moroccan Autonomy plan, shows today openness to supporting it.
Russia chairs the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for October. Moroccan foreign Nasser Bourita and Russian peer had discussed the Sahara issue on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly.
Furthermore, following Lavrov’s latest meeting with UN Sahara envoy Staffan de Mistura, the Russian Foreign Ministry described the Western Sahara conflict as a “legacy of colonialism” and stressed the need for a “just, durable, and mutually acceptable solution” based on UN Charter and Security Council resolutions.
Moscow has abstained from recent votes on Sahara resolutions and Lavrov himself has affirmed that Russia is actively working with Morocco to resolve the decades-long Sahara conflict.
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