Just ahead of the upcoming talks between Nasser Bourita and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Morocco's ambassador to Russia, Lotfi Bouchaara, was received by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Yesterday, Bouchaara met with Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia's special representative for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister. According to a statement from the Russian Ministry, «discussions centered on the situation in the Middle East and North Africa». The talks also touched on the «progressive development of the traditionally friendly relations between Russia and Morocco», with an emphasis on maintaining regular political dialogue to help resolve ongoing crises in the Middle East and North Africa. Both sides agreed that solutions should be based on international law principles and relevant UN Security Council resolutions. On April 2, Mikhail Bogdanov also met with the Algerian ambassador in Moscow. Their talks covered several issues, including «the situation in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Sahara-Sahel». Diplomats from both Morocco and Algeria are routinely received at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, especially as the UN Security Council prepares to address the Sahara issue. As a reminder, Russia abstained from voting on Security Council Resolution 2756 on October 31, 2024, and it also rejected an Algerian proposal to expand the mandate of MINURSO to include monitoring human rights in the Sahara.
