Moroccan Sahara issue settlement discussed in Moscow

The settlement of the Moroccan Sahara issue was at the focus of a meeting held on Wednesday in Moscow between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin and Moroccan Ambassador to Russia Lotfi Bouchaara.

The two sides also discussed other issues of mutual interest on the agenda of the United Nations, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Special attention was paid to developments in North Africa and the Sahel-Sahara regions, including the settlement of the Sahara issue, the statement said.

The Russia-Arab League summit, which has been postponed for several times, will finally be held in Cairo in April but uncertainty casts a shadow on the gathering due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov started Monday a two- week African tour to expand Moscow’s influence in the continent while Western nations are pushing to isolate it with sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

While in Mali on Tuesday, Sergey Lavrov dismissed criticism of Moscow’s attempts to expand its influence in Africa as a diplomatic tug-of-war between global powers continues on the continent.
He also pledged military support to Mali as well as to Guinea, Burkina Faso and Chad and the Sahel region in general and even the coastal states on the Gulf of Guinea to help them fight terrorism.