Bourita says King’s direct diplomacy swayed Russia and secured 11 votes at UN on Sahara

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said King Mohammed VI personally led a series of decisive diplomatic interventions “five or six days” before the UN Security Council’s historic vote endorsing Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara.

Speaking to Morocco’s 2M television on Saturday, Bourita said the monarch’s direct calls “tipped the balance” in favor of Morocco amid “one of the most complex compositions the Council has ever seen.”

According to Bourita, Russia’s abstention “was the result of the King’s diplomacy” and an expression of Moscow’s acknowledgment of Morocco’s neutral stance in the Ukraine conflict. He said, “If Russia abstained, it did so for His Majesty the King and for Morocco.” The minister explained that the outcome reflected “the Morocco of the King—pragmatic, active, and respected,” adding that “the King’s diplomacy is one of reason and action, not of rhetoric.”

Bourita linked this outcome to years of groundwork: “His Majesty visited China in 2015 and Russia in 2016, and those visits are paying off today.” He said that despite current tensions between Moscow, Beijing, and Washington, both powers “entered the equation because the matter concerns Morocco, the Morocco of King Mohammed VI.”

The foreign minister revealed that reaching 11 affirmative votes “was not easy,” noting that the King worked personally with France and other permanent members, following a clear approach built on two principles. First, that “the Sahara issue is the lens through which Morocco sees the world,” and that “this is not a time for neutrality or comfort zones—it is a time for truth.” Second, that “today’s Morocco is not yesterday’s Morocco; it acts with confidence, parity, and clarity in defending its interests.”

He emphasized that Morocco’s current position was guided by “clarity with Spain,” remarking that “clarity creates ambition.” Bourita also acknowledged the rare challenge of having Algeria—“the opposing party”—sitting as a Council member, calling it “a situation that occurs only once every twenty years.”

“The eleven votes that supported Morocco and were rallied by His Majesty were not gained easily,” Bourita said. “The King intervened personally and followed the process daily until we reached nine votes during the final six days, after which the tenth and eleventh became easier.”

Bourita noted that while the Council’s previous composition included the UAE, a close ally, the current one featured Algeria, Ghana, Pakistan, Slovenia, Greece, and Denmark, with “even traditionally friendly European or Latin American countries less aligned.” He added that “France, the United States, and the United Kingdom changed their positions after the King’s direct engagement with their leaders,” describing them as “the foundation for the next phase.”

On Pakistan’s abstention, he said its decision “revolved around its domestic stance on Kashmir and its own interests.” On Russia’s neutrality, he attributed it to the 2016 royal visit and the “strategic partnership agreement that established trust and economic ties,” noting that Moscow “also recalled Morocco’s balanced position on the Ukraine war.”

Looking ahead, Bourita said Morocco “has reasons to be optimistic” about next year’s Security Council configuration, with Bahrain, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo—“three allies of Morocco”—joining as new members. “What matters most,” he concluded, “is that the resolution passed without any opposing vote or veto.”