Rabat, Morocco (TMT)- Only few days after the newly elected, for a second term, Moroccan head of the government, Abdellilah Benkirane, criticized Russia for making the situation worse in Syria after it decided to join the ragging battlefield in 2015, the Ambassador of Russia to Morocco, Valery Vorobiev, met Salaheddine Mezouar, Morocco’s FM, to complain over Benkirane’s statement.
A communiqué from the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation said that the Russian ambassador “expressed Moscow’s concern over a media statement given by a Moroccan top government official, accusing Russia of being responsible for the destruction of Syria.”
Mezouar told the Russian ambassador that “the Kingdom of Morocco respects the role and action of the Russian Federation on this issue as well as on other international issues,” and that Benkirane’s statement should not be taken as Morocco’s official position, stressing that King Mohammed VI “remains the guarantor of the consistency and continuity of the diplomatic positions of the Kingdom of Morocco and the respect of its international commitments,” stressing in the meantime that Morocco’s “official positions derive from a thorough evaluation and an interaction and approval process involving several stakeholders and institutions. They cannot, given their complexity and severity, be the subject of random improvisations or express personal viewpoints.”
Benkirane’s statement triggered a wave of controversy in Morocco, especially on social media platforms.
While various Moroccans lauded Benkirane’s statement saying “it reflects the truth and the point of view of most Moroccans,” others harshly criticized him for “poking his nose in the internal affairs of other countries”, asking him to rather focus his efforts on “Morocco to fight rampant corruption and poverty.”
The Moroccan Times.
