'Look for other work': Zelensky recalls Ukraine's envoy to Rabat, after her failure to shift Morocco's neutrality

'Look for other work': Zelensky recalls Ukraine's envoy to Rabat, after her failure to shift Morocco's neutrality
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita burst out in laughter after a journalist asked him to clarify the kingdom’s “blurry” position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
2 min read
31 March, 2022
Zelensky chided Ukraine's envoy to Morocco in a video address [Getty]

UkrainianPresident Volodymyr Zelensky Kyiv’s ambassadors to Moroccoand Georgia on Wednesday, saying the diplomats had not done enough to convince those countries to punish Russia for its invasion.

“With all due respect, if there won’t be weapons, won’t be sanctions, won’t be restrictions for Russian business, then please look for other work,” Zelenskyy said during a video address to the nation.

MENA
Live Story

Zelensky, who has been addressing parliaments around the world via video urging more aid for his war-torn country, said that he is waiting for “concrete results in the coming days from the work of our representatives in Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa.”

On Tuesday, Nasser Bourita, the Moroccan FM, burst out in laughter after a journalist asked the diplomat to clarify Rabat's “blurry” position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He did not answer the reporter's question.

In March, Morocco not to attend two UN votes that condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the Moroccan ministry of foreign affairsRabat’s decision "cannot be the subject of any interpretation regarding its principled position on the situation between the Russian Federation and Ukraine.”

The reasons behind Morocco’s refusal to take a stance against Russiaremain unclear, as Rabat is a key US ally in the MENA region.

While some experts it as a “wise” move that will allow Morocco to avoid an unnecessary dispute with a global power like Russia, others argue that taking a side in a conflict over territory would the debate about Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.