A Polisario delegation led by its coordinator with MINURSO visited Russia, Wednesday, and met with Alexander Kinchak, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Division at the Russian Foreign Ministry. According to the Polisario press agency, the meeting «facilitated discussion and exchange of perspectives on several topics of mutual interest, including the UN-sponsored peace process in Western Sahara and Russia-Sahrawi relations». This visit follows a January 30th meeting in Moscow between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Algerian Ambassador Boumediene Guennad, where the Western Sahara issue was reportedly discussed. Notably, the Algerian side advocated for «direct negotiations» between Morocco and the Polisario. Previously, Polisario delegations visiting Russia were typically received by Bogdanov, including encounters in October 2021 and December 2022.
