Russia Considers Morocco an “Important Partner” on the African Continent
The Russian Federation regards Morocco as “an important partner” on the African continent, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Wednesday, on the eve of the visit to Moscow by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita.
According to the ministry’s statement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold talks with Mr. Bourita in Moscow on Thursday to “thoroughly examine the promising avenues for the future development of the traditionally friendly Russian-Moroccan relations.”
The communiqué also noted that Mr. Bourita will co-chair, alongside Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev, the 8th session of the Russian-Moroccan Intergovernmental Joint Commission for Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation.
The Russian ministry emphasized that the leaders of both countries, His Majesty King Mohammed VI and President Vladimir Putin, “share long-standing relations based on friendship and mutual respect.”
It recalled that the Moroccan Sovereign paid two visits to Russia, in October 2002 and March 2016, during which a Declaration on Strategic Partnership and a Declaration on Enhanced Strategic Partnership were signed. These documents, it added, have become key programmatic texts defining the priorities for the future development of bilateral relations for decades to come.
President Putin, for his part, made an official visit to Morocco in September 2006. High-level Moroccan delegations, led by the Head of Government, also took part in the Russia-Africa Summits held in 2019 and 2023.
During their discussions, Ministers Lavrov and Bourita will also exchange views on current regional and international issues, including the resolution of conflicts and crises in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Sahel-Saharan region through exclusively political and diplomatic means.
Special attention will be given to practical matters aimed at expanding trade and economic cooperation and fully leveraging the existing potential, the statement explained.
Highlighting the close coordination between the Russian and Moroccan foreign ministries, Moscow underlined the regular meetings between Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Bourita, particularly on the sidelines of UN General Assembly sessions, as well as their ongoing communication by phone.
The Russian side expressed hope that Mr. Bourita’s visit will further strengthen the multidimensional partnership between the two countries and boost joint efforts to promote lasting peace and stability in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Sahel, the statement concluded.
Editorial team/le7tv (Press release)
