Russia expresses readiness to support Morocco's autonomy plan
- Russia's position on Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara
- Change in Russia's position on Western Sahara
- Morocco as a strategic partner of Moscow
- Evolution of Russian-Moroccan relations
- Morocco's diplomatic victory
Russia's position on Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara
A few days before the Security Council meeting chaired by Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations, which will take place at the end of October at the UN headquarters in New York, the Russian Federation has declared its willingness to support the Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty.
In the context of a profound reconfiguration of alliances and strategic priorities on the international stage, Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is willing to support the Moroccan plan, provided that it is approved by all parties and supervised by the UN.
The position expressed by the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, represents an unprecedented geopolitical shift on the part of Moscow, which has changed its cautious approach to ‘welcoming the autonomy initiative proposed by the Alawite kingdom as one of the legitimate forms of self-determination recognised by the United Nations’, through dialogue rather than unilateral actions, according to statements by the Russian Foreign Minister.
Change in Russia's position on Western Sahara
After maintaining a consistent position of neutrality, Russia has repositioned itself with regard to Western Sahara, classifying the Moroccan plan as one of the legitimate solutions to the conflict.
This change in Russia's position constitutes recognition of the proposal that Morocco has been defending since 2007 as a realistic, credible alternative that is compatible with the international legal framework. This is a legitimisation that is unprecedented in the history of Russian-Moroccan relations.
‘The Sahara conflict dossier has been on the table for five decades and the solution envisaged at the time to resolve it was a referendum. But the reality has evolved and 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,’ said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
‘The resolutions of the United Nations Security Council currently constitute the available framework for discussing a solution to this conflict, and if a new resolution were to be based on other frameworks for a solution, we would be willing to examine its content, with the consent of all interested parties,’ he added.
Morocco as a strategic partner of Moscow
Morocco has consolidated its position as a key strategic partner for numerous international actors such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Spain, as well as China and Russia.
The latter two, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, despite their fruitful relations with the North African country, have not yet expressed their explicit support for the Autonomy Plan in Western Sahara as the sole basis for resolving this regional dispute.
Similar to Rabat's commitment to the ‘one China’ principle on the Taiwan issue, Morocco's non-alignment in the war in Ukraine led Moscow to declare its readiness to support the Moroccan proposal for the Sahara.
This proposal has garnered the support of key players such as the United States, Spain, France, Germany and the Netherlands, among others. For its part, Russia does not yet share the explicit position of these countries, although it recognises the growing legitimacy of the Moroccan initiative on the international stage.
Russia's repositioning on the Sahara issue reinforces Morocco's position as a stabilising force in North Africa and the Sahel, two regions that are increasingly sensitive to international security.
Evolution of Russian-Moroccan relations
It should be remembered that the agreements signed between Russian President Vladimir Putin and King Mohammed VI have consolidated their ties, despite global geopolitical changes and financial crises in recent years.
In the face of global tensions, the partnership between Russia and Morocco is characterised by mutual respect, shared interests and a commitment to maintaining a balanced and constructive relationship that protects investments with Morocco.
Morocco's diplomatic victory
Throughout the history of Russian-Moroccan relations, Moscow has always avoided alignments that could affect its relations with Algeria or other regional powers, maintaining pragmatism as the basis of its relationship with Morocco.
Thus, Moscow has never taken a radically hostile or openly favourable position on the Western Sahara issue, but has always opted for a strategy of neutrality, which has now become an explicit willingness to support the proposal for autonomy for the southern territories under the Moroccan flag.
Since 2007, Rabat has made great efforts to defend its proposal for autonomy as the only serious, credible and realistic political solution to the Sahara conflict. Thanks to Morocco's diplomatic efforts, the Autonomy Plan is beginning to change attitudes that have been known for their neutrality.
In this context, although Russia has not officially recognised the proposal as the only way forward, the evolution of the Russian position has been a significant diplomatic victory, as it has been incorporated into its official discourse at the UN, placing the Sahara issue at the centre of the international agenda.