Russia has unveiled its work program for its July presidency of the UN Security Council, which runs from July 1 to 31 with no mention of the Sahara issue or developments related to the MINURSO peacekeeping mission in the agenda.
The Russian program instead focuses on a range of issues related to UN missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, the Middle East, West Africa, and the Sahel.
The program also includes discussion sessions on maintaining international peace and security and cooperation between the UN and regional organizations.
Political analyst Mohamed Chakir told Hespress AR that the Moroccan Sahara issue was excluded from the Russian agenda for procedural reasons.
The analyst said that the issue was already discussed and resolved during the April session and is scheduled to be revisited in the next session in October.
Chakir also suggests that the decision may be related to Russia’s desire, as one of the five permanent members with veto power, to focus on agenda items that align with its own international and regional priorities.
Chakir also pointed to the neutral stance both Morocco and Russia adopted on each other’s issues in recent years.
Morocco has refrained from supporting the West in its criticism of Russia’s intervention in Ukraine, opting to abstain from voting against Russia.
In turn, Russia has maintained a neutral position on the Moroccan Sahara issue, despite its military alliance with Algeria.
Chakir further added that the economic partnership between the two countries, Russia’s recognition of Morocco’s strategic role as a gateway to Africa, and Russia’s ambition to strengthen its influence in the Sahel region, particularly following France’s withdrawal, all contributed to Moscow’s decision not to raise the Moroccan Sahara issue.
Bousselham Issat, a researcher in political and international studies, said that Russia’s focus on strengthening its strategic partnership with Morocco is likely motivating it to avoid delving into this sensitive issue.
This partnership includes cooperation in customs, agriculture, military, diplomacy, administration, trade, culture, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy, which followed the King’s visit to Moscow in 2016,
Issat added that Russian diplomacy is aware that scheduling the Moroccan Sahara issue on the UN Security Council agenda could be misconstrued as a response to the maneuvers of Algeria’s representative on the Security Council, which could potentially strain Moroccan-Russian relations.
The expert pointed out that this decision reflects Morocco’s adherence to diplomatic balance in the Russia-Ukraine war, maintaining an equilibrium between Ukraine, which recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over the Moroccan Sahara, and Russia, which holds a neutral stance on the issue.
