Morocco and Russia Reaffirm Strategic Partnership, Sign New Cooperation Agreements in Moscow

Rabat, The Gulf Observer: Morocco and Russia reaffirmed their strong bilateral relations and commitment to expanding cooperation during the 8th session of the Moroccan-Russian Joint Governmental Committee, held on Friday in Moscow.

The meeting was co-chaired by Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, and Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Patrushev.

In his address, Minister Bourita described the session as “an opportunity to make full use of the potential between the two countries and move cooperation to new and broader horizons.” He expressed optimism that the meeting would yield “concrete results that reflect the ambitions of King Mohammed VI and President Vladimir Putin.”

Bourita emphasized that the strengthening of Morocco-Russia relations holds great promise in various fields, including trade, tourism, energy, education, and technical collaboration. He also recalled that bilateral ties have significantly deepened since King Mohammed VI’s landmark visit to Moscow in 2016, which ushered in a new era of advanced partnership and tangible achievements.

This year’s meeting coincides with preparations to mark the 10th anniversary of the Deep Strategic Partnership Declaration signed in 2016, which Bourita said symbolizes the mutual respect and strong personal ties between the two heads of state.

During the session, both sides reviewed the progress achieved in recent years and discussed practical measures to further enhance cooperation. The meeting brought together a high-level Moroccan delegation representing key sectors such as agriculture, energy, industry, transport, customs, education, and culture.

At the conclusion of the discussions, Morocco and Russia signed three new cooperation agreements:

• An agreement on maritime fisheries cooperation,
• A protocol on the exchange of customs documents and data related to the valuation of traded goods, and
• A protocol on cooperation and information exchange within the unified tariff preferences system of the Eurasian Economic Union.

Both sides reiterated their shared commitment to diversifying trade exchanges, encouraging mutual investments, and developing new forms of sectoral partnership. They also agreed to maintain regular political dialogue and ensure effective follow-up mechanisms to maximize the potential of their strategic partnership.

In a related development, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed Moscow’s openness to supporting Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara. Lavrov described the initiative as “one of the forms of self-determination recognized by the United Nations,” provided that it gains the consent of all parties concerned and adheres to international law.

Lavrov further stressed that Russia advocates the right to self-determination through dialogue rather than unilateral actions, noting that Morocco’s autonomy proposal could serve as a viable framework for resolving the issue under UN supervision.

This nuanced shift in Russia’s stance is viewed as a significant diplomatic boost for Morocco, particularly ahead of the United Nations Security Council’s upcoming deliberations on Western Sahara later this month. Observers suggest that Moscow’s new position could influence the tone and direction of international discussions on the matter.