DR ‹ › On Tuesday, the Director of the Department of International Organizations at the Russian Foreign Ministry, K. M. Logvinov, met with a delegation from the Polisario Front led by its «foreign minister», Mohamed Salem Bissat.
According to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry, the talks focused on the current situation and prospects for resolving the Western Sahara conflict. The Russian side stressed the need to reach a «just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution», based on relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and in line with the goals and principles of the UN Charter. The meeting comes days after talks between Algeria's ambassador to Moscow, Toufik Djouama, and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov, during which «special attention was given to developments and prospects of the peace process in Western Sahara, in light of recent discussions in the Security Council», the same source said. The visit also comes ahead of the submission of a report by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to Security Council members on the renewal of the MINURSO mission's mandate, in accordance with Resolution 2797 adopted on October 31. The Polisario Front and Algeria oppose any changes to the UN mission's mandate, particularly proposals, backed by Morocco and the United States, to refocus it exclusively on monitoring ceasefire violations.
