Morocco misses two conferences in support of Ukraine, in continuation of its neutral strategy in conflict
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Morocco was absent this week from two international meetings supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia, which suggests that Rabat is maintaining its neutral stance in this long conflict and protecting its interests with the eastern camp.
The final list of countries participating in the international peace conference for Ukraine held in Switzerland included up to 100 countries, from which the Kingdom of Morocco was absent, amid international reports questioning the “usefulness of the conference without the presence of Russia and China.”
The Swiss Foreign Ministry said that the event, which began on Saturday and ends this Sunday, “aims to develop a common understanding of the path towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” adding that “160 countries around the world have been invited to attend the conference.”
Explanation from the Embassy of Ukraine in Rabat
According to a communications officer at the Kiev Embassy in Rabat who spoke to Hespress, Morocco was invited, but did not “provide a response about its acceptance to participate in this conference,” leaving it absent along with 59 countries around the world, the most important of which are Russia and China, as the most important actors from the Eastern camp in this crisis.
Rabat was also absent from the G7 summit held in Italy, amid the presence of three countries from the Maghreb region, namely Mauritania, Tunisia and Algeria: Mauritania, Tunisia and Algeria. The latter attended despite being an ally of Russia.
According to Reuters, the final joint declaration stated that “the leaders participating in the summit stand behind Ukraine in its war against Russia, rebuilding it as long as necessary, and providing a loan of 50 billion dollars.”
This loan, according to other international media outlets, including the German News Agency and Bloomberg, “results from the use of frozen Russian assets and will be used by Kiev to strengthen its military capabilities.”
“The restoration of the rules-based international order can only be achieved if all peace-supporting countries in the world unite their efforts, so that Ukraine needs a strong voice from all continents in favor of a just peace, through participation in the Ukraine Peace Summit,” said Kiev’s Ambassador to Rabat, Sergei Sayenko.
In a statement to Hespress, Sayenko added that Switzerland provides this platform to demonstrate the international community’s clear commitment to appropriate principles and values, and that more than a hundred countries attended it, pointing out that the success of the summit and the global presence at this event, “is a clear message that the world does not support war and wants peace, which is why I think it is necessary that all countries from all continents, which respect the United Nations Charter, the United Nations Organization and international law, participate in the summit,” as he put it.
The Ukrainian diplomat continued: “We are grateful for the ideas that correspond to Ukraine’s peace points during the conference, and showing global unity in favor of such peace is the only option to secure it,” without revealing his opinion about “Rabat’s non-participation.”
Maintaining ties with Russia
This coincides with the contents of a letter King Mohammed VI sent this week to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Russia’s National Day, in which he said: “I take this opportunity to assure Your Excellency of my keenness to continue working together with you to further strengthen the constructive bilateral cooperation relations between our two countries, consolidating the strategic partnership between them and serving the common interests of our two friendly peoples.”
“Rabat does not seek to attend international conferences without being a strong actor,” said Mohamed Bentilha Dakkali, a professor of international relations at Kadi Ayyad University in Marrakesh.
Bentilha told Hespress that Rabat avoids “influence seats” at international meetings, and its absence from the Swiss conference and the G7 summit is due to its “desire to maintain its balanced positions on the war in Ukraine.”
In a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Dimitry Kuleba, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita reiterated Rabat’s position on the war in Ukraine, which is “respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states of the United Nations.”
“Morocco is influential in international decisions, and its absence this week is a clear Moroccan desire for Rabat to be in the same line, not on the sidelines like some neighboring countries that participated in the G7 summit,” Bentilha said.
Accordingly, the international relations specialist emphasized that the Kingdom of Morocco “has interests with Russia and China, as well as with the Eastern camp, and maintains this without reservation,” he said.
The G7 summit, which was attended by Mauritania, Tunisia and Algeria, could not be confirmed by Hespress whether an Italian invitation was extended to the Kingdom of Morocco.