HIBAPRESS
Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, affirmed on Thursday in Moscow that Morocco considers Russia, according to the perspective of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, a reliable and constructive partner.
Bourita explained, in a press conference following his discussions with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, that these discussions "were marked by a deep and fruitful dialogue, and were an opportunity to confirm what His Majesty King Mohammed VI considers a strong strategic partnership between the two countries, as His Majesty the King holds special appreciation and mutual respect with His Excellency President Vladimir Putin." He highlighted that next year, the tenth anniversary of the signing of the in-depth strategic partnership between the two countries, as approved by His Majesty the King and the Russian President, "will be an occasion to celebrate what we have achieved," recalling that during the King's visit to Russia, 16 agreements were signed, all of which have entered into force. On the economic front, the minister noted that "our economic relations have developed significantly, as this year, with regard to the tourism sector, will be exceptional in terms of the number of Russian tourists who have come to Morocco," adding that Royal Air Maroc has reopened the Casablanca-Moscow route with seven weekly flights, and soon a direct line connecting Casablanca and Saint Petersburg will be opened." At the level of political dialogue, Bourita emphasized the strength of relations between the two countries, which coordinate together in regional and international forums. He continued, "Today we signed a memorandum of understanding with the aim of structuring and organizing these consultations and making them deeper between the two foreign ministries, and tomorrow we will hold the eighth session of the Moroccan-Russian Joint Governmental Committee with His Excellency First Deputy Prime Minister Patrushev." He considered that this session will be an opportunity to review economic relations and ways to develop them, in addition to signing a number of agreements, highlighting that this committee "is an important mechanism that has allowed our relations to develop in the fields of agriculture, sea fishing, academic cooperation and other areas, and our meeting will be an opportunity to discuss ways to develop and strengthen this mechanism." He confirmed that both sides are determined to use the year 2026 to give more radiance to bilateral relations by organizing reciprocal visits of sectoral ministers, and cultural activities in both Russia and Morocco to highlight the depth of these relations." He mentioned, in this regard, that Moroccan-Russian relations date back to the 18th century and have continued continuously, noting that the two countries possess a significant legal momentum through 188 bilateral agreements covering all fields, which is one of the richest legal frameworks that the Kingdom of Morocco has with another country. He said that there is a need to encourage other actors to engage in these bilateral relations, especially businessmen, particularly in the field of sectoral cooperation. In another context, Bourita explained that his discussions with his Russian counterpart also addressed the situation in the Middle East, highlighting that the two countries have converging views on this matter. After praising the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump to stop the fire and allow the entry of humanitarian aid, he expressed hope that all parties would respect all the items in this agreement and that it would open a political horizon for a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue. He added that His Majesty the King, from the perspective of his presidency of the Al-Quds Committee, considers that the two-state solution is the only framework for establishing a just peace by establishing a Palestinian state on the June 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, stressing that "without a solution to the essence of the issue, there will be no stability in the Middle East." He pointed out that Africa also formed another area of political dialogue between the two countries, confirming that Russia "has an important position in the African continent, as Morocco, according to the vision of His Majesty the King, is a key player in the continent." He added that these discussions touched upon the situation in the Sahel and Sahara region, where it was confirmed that respect for the sovereignty of these countries and respect for their decisions and choices is important. He confirmed that both sides, Bourita added, believe that these countries should not be subject to any guardianship, whether from the former colonial powers or from parties trying to make this region a backyard, and they emphasize that these countries have choices, "If they are supported by their peoples, we, as Morocco, at least, support and accompany these choices to achieve stability, whether in Mali, Burkina Faso, or Niger." He mentioned that His Majesty the King has expressed on more than one occasion to these countries that their stability is an important matter for the Kingdom of Morocco, which will accompany these countries in all their programs to combat terrorism in order to enhance stability and achieve development. The minister said, "We also talked about the Russian-African Forum, which we consider a very important framework since the summit that was held last year, which was a successful summit, both in terms of participation and in terms of outputs," adding that the ministerial meeting that will be held in the coming weeks will be an opportunity for follow-up and for working to make this forum achieve the expected expectations from it, namely development and stability with a partner who has always been a friend of the African continent, the Russian Federation. Regarding multilateral bodies, Bourita said that "Morocco and Russia are among the countries that believe in a multilateral world and the role of the United Nations, but we also believe in an effective and just multilateral system that takes into account international developments and the rights and expectations of developing countries, especially in Africa." He continued that this system cannot lead to the desired results unless it is reformed with the participation of everyone. He concluded that the dialogue with his Russian counterpart was, as usual, positive and fruitful, adding that he invited Mr. Lavrov to visit Morocco to be part of the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the declaration of the in-depth strategic partnership between Morocco and Russia.
