Russia and Morocco pledge to deepen cooperation during foreign ministers meeting

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita for bilateral talks in Moscow on Thursday.

The two diplomats signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the creation of a joint committee "to deepen the strategic partnership" between Russia and Morocco, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Lavrov and Bourita also discussed the war in Gaza. They expressed satisfaction with the ongoing implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Lavrov praised Morocco's role "in promoting efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue."

"We note the role played by His Majesty King Mohammed VI as head of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's Jerusalem Committee," said Lavrov.

Bourita in turn said that both countries share a common understanding of the current developments in the Middle East.

"We appreciate President Trump’s efforts to establish a ceasefire," he said.

"We hope all parties abide by all elements of the agreement and we hope it ushers a political horizon that creates a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue."

Lavrov and Bourita also spoke about the dispute over Western Sahara.

In a news conference on Monday, Lavrov said “any solution acceptable to all parties would be satisfactory” for Russia, which would include Morocco's autonomy plan.