Morocco Inks Fishing Deal with Russia Following EU Agreement Annulment

Moroccan diplomatic sources cited by Europa Press report that this agreement with Russia "covers the southern provinces", reaffirming the Moroccanness of the Sahara. The same sources added that "with or without" the CJEU, the dynamic of international support for the Moroccan autonomy plan presented in 2007 by King Mohammed VI "is following its course", recalling the recent support of France and before that of Spain, for this plan considered as "the most serious, realistic and credible basis" for resolving this conflict.

The European Court has annulled the trade and fisheries agreements between the EU and Morocco, considering that the kingdom has not obtained the prior consent of the Polisario Front. The EU court "is wrong to think that the Sahara issue will be resolved before it," the same sources indicate, specifying that "the Sahara issue is a regional conflict that can only be resolved within the framework of the United Nations".

Negotiations are at a standstill between Morocco and the Polisario Front. While Morocco proposes an autonomy plan for this territory, the Polisario claims the right to self-determination of the Sahrawi people. The two parties remain entrenched in their positions. Last week, the UN special envoy for the conflict in the Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, again met with representatives of the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front.