Russia’s ambassadors in the Maghreb, Sahel and Sahara region held this Thursday a meeting in Rabat, under the co-chairmanship of Morocco’s minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Saad Dine El Otmani and Russian vice-foreign minister and special envoy of the Russian president, Mikhail Bogdanov.
The meeting, held behind closed-doors, took place in the presence of the Russian ambassadors in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Libya, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire/Burkina Faso in addition to top officials from the foreign affairs ministry.
The meeting, will look into “all issues related to the Maghreb and the Sahel and Sahara region”, the Russian official told reporters.
He also stressed that his visit to Morocco is meant to consolidate bilateral ties and enhance political dialogue.
“We hope to achieve better coordination with Morocco at the United Nations, and in other international organizations on regional and international issues as well as on the Middle East”, added Bogdanov who hoped that bilateral cooperation will be intensified in economic, trade, tourism and investment fields.
He further recalled the visit paid in 2002 by HM King Mohammed VI to Russia, during which the two countries signed a strategic partnership declaration, and the visit paid by the Russian president to Morocco in 2006.
El Othmani told reporters that the meeting illustrates the depth of bilateral ties, underlining the two countries’ “strong resolve” to consolidate ties in all fields.
The Russian ambassadors’ meeting will be an opportunity to present the viewpoints of the two countries on a number of regional issues, particularly security challenges and the construction of the Arab Maghreb Union, said El Othmani.
In addition to the Russian vice-foreign minister, the Russian delegation comprises Chairman of the oil and gas producers union council, the council vice-chairman and head of the Middle east and North Africa department at the Russian foreign affairs ministry.
