Morocco’s position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict remains clear in its neutrality and condemnation of all armed and violent conflict, assured Moroccan FM Nasser Bourita on Tuesday.
During a press conference where he received Austrian Deputy Federal Minister for European and International Affairs, Moroccan Minister Bourita stated that the Kingdom’s stance on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is based on a number of principles, including respect for international law and the United Nations Constitutions, the preservation of state sovereignty, respect for the territorial integrity of UN members, the peaceful resolution of disputes, and support for a positive neighborhood policy.
“Morocco was always against using violence to solve disputes,” said Bourita.
He affirmed Morocco’s presence in votes that involve positive decisions related to maintaining and not using power to solve disputes between countries.
“Morocco votes on these decisions because it conforms with international legitimacy and with the decisions of the United Nations,” he further explained.
According to Bourita, Morocco is not a party to the armed dispute between the two nations and does not contribute in any way to it.
Morocco is dealing with this as a case that affects international peace with its various repercussions, noted the minister. Morocco simply affirms its position by positive votes in some cases, he detailed.
Foreign media sites reported last month that Morocco had supplied Soviet-made tanks to Ukraine, implying that the Kingdom has taken a stance in the Russia-Ukraine armed confrontation, which it had remained neutral in for nearly a year.
The news was labeled misleading because the facts stretch back a few months when the Czech business Excalibur Army modified T-72B Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) from the Moroccan army, which Morocco later conceded in exchange for other weapons.
If the reports were accurate, Morocco would have been the first nation in Africa to give Ukraine military assistance in light of the ongoing dispute with Russia.
After months of pressure from Kyiv on its European partners to provide tanks, there was no agreement reached the most recent gathering of Western defense chiefs in January in Ramstein.
Germany made the decision to provide Ukraine with contemporary tanks last month because it had been unwilling to allow Poland and other nations to transfer its Leopard tanks to Kyiv until the US had provided its Abrams first.
As for Morocco’s involvement in the conflict overall, Bourita said that it is restricted to positive votes, such as this week when Morocco voted in favor of a UN resolution urging Moscow to withdraw its forces from Ukraine and establish a comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace in Kyiv.
Morocco maintains its call for all member states to adhere to the principle of “non-recourse to force” in settling disputes between states, to intensify dialogue and negotiation between the parties, and to encourage all peaceful initiatives.
Morocco had abstained from voting and was absent from the extraordinary session of the United Nations General Assembly in March 2022, which ended with a vote on a resolution condemning the Russian war on Ukraine.
The kingdom previously noted, in regards to the conflict, that it is following the crisis between the two parties with concern and clinging to the territorial integrity of all the countries of the United Nations.
Bourita’s latest appearance affirmed this position and cleared morocco’s stance on the dispute.
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