Alexander Ivanko, head of MINURSO, visited Russia this Friday. Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Ivanko was received in Moscow by Sergey Vershinin, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. «The in-depth consultations focused on issues related to the daily activities of the mission, as well as the situation in its area of operation», the statement read. The statement added that Russia expressed its «continued support for MINURSO's activities, which play an important role in stabilizing the situation on the ground and creating conditions for a just, lasting, and acceptable solution to the conflict based on relevant un security council resolutions». As a reminder, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on december 20, 2023, in Marrakech, «to ensure the necessary conditions for the effective functioning of the united nations mission in Western Sahara». Ivanko had previously held talks with the Russian ambassador in Rabat at the end of February. This visit to Russia, Ivanko's native country, comes less than a week after the projectiles fired by the polisario on the city of Es-Smara.
