Press release on the 6th Session of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum at the ministerial level held in Marrakesh, Morocco
20 December 2023 20:46
2587-20-12-2023
On December 20, Marrakesh, the Kingdom of Morocco, hosted the 6th Session of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum (RACF) at the ministerial level. The meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates of the Kingdom of Morocco Nasser Bourita. Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and the foreign ministers of Bahrain, the Comoros, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Qatar, Somalia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen took part via video conference.
An interactive and detailed exchange of views on the situation in the Middle East and North Africa demonstrated that the participants in the RACF session unanimously agreed that the domestic political problems of the countries in the region, no matter how challenging, should be resolved by peaceful means through a wide-ranging national dialogue embracing all political forces and walks of life. At the same time, it was stressed that any outside interference in the internal affairs of independent states was unacceptable. The participants reaffirmed that the principle of respect for their sovereignty and territorial integrity in conformity with international law and the UN Charter remained immutable.
These fundamental postulates served as the basis for a detailed analysis of a number of current regional problems with a focus on an unprecedented escalation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone. The participants agreed that it was highly important to step up international efforts to stop the hostilities in Gaza as soon as possible, provide the necessary assistance to the local population, and create conditions for a comprehensive and long-term settlement of the Middle East conflict based on the generally accepted international law. Other topics for substantive discussion were the situation in Syria, Libya, Yemen, and Sudan; the Ukraine crisis; counteraction to terrorism and extremism; and plans to create a zone free of nuclear and other mass destruction weapons in the Middle East.
A number of specific steps were coordinated to invigorate the entire range of cooperation between Russia and the Arab countries, including trade, the economy, research, culture, and the humanitarian area.
The RACF concluded with its participants approving a joint Declaration and a Plan of Action to implement the Forum's principles, goals and tasks for 2024-2026.
It was agreed that the 7th RACF session would be held in Moscow in 2024.
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