Bouden added, in a statement with “”, that the issue concerns, on one hand, the bilateral entitlement related to the convening of the eighth session of the Moroccan-Russian Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation. This meeting also coincides with the 67th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
He continued: “On the other hand, the meeting comes in the context of Russia expressing a constructive and insightful stance on the autonomy initiative within the framework and its concern for the interest of the North-West African region in peace, security, and development. This is concurrent with Russia’s assumption of the rotating presidency of the Security Council during the current month of October, a month that witnesses intensive council sessions on the Moroccan Sahara issue leading to the adoption of a UN resolution in the context of Moroccans celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the Green March Epic.
He explained that over the years, Rabat and Moscow have maintained high-level exchanges at the summit level, led by King Mohammed VI and President Vladimir Putin, as well as at the ministerial and sectoral levels, and also at the level of businessmen and the populace.
He continued, “There are other motivating factors for the relations, manifested in mutual political trust and pragmatic, fruitful cooperation aimed at achieving results, which injects stronger momentum into the relations and makes them a model of friendly and practical cooperation.
He added: “Currently, Morocco is considered a major trading partner for Russia in the Arab world and Africa, with an exchange value of around 3 billion dollars. It is known that 70% of Russian trade in the African continent is concentrated in four African countries, most notably Morocco, which has become, thanks to its strategic initiatives, whether the Atlantic process or facilitating the access of Sahel countries to the Atlantic, or the Atlantic gas pipeline, a reliable international partner in sustainable development, energy, and food security and digital transition.
The international affairs expert pointed out that the agreement framework between the two countries expands in the areas of economic, scientific, and technical cooperation, agriculture, marine fishing, tourism, industry, energy, and culture between the two countries. Thus, relations between the two sides are likely to develop, and the extent to which relations can go depends on the responsiveness of its mechanisms to various challenges related to food and energy security and various issues of sovereignty in today’s world.
He believes that the Russian Federation’s interest in expanding the scope of cooperation with the Kingdom of Morocco reflects the importance of Morocco as an African country with geopolitical and economic weight in its vital domain and in defending Africa’s collective interests within the framework of partnerships that bring the continent together with major international powers, including Arab-Russian cooperation.
Morocco has been following, for years, an approach of diversifying partnerships and balancing them, and relations with major international powers are a priority for Morocco in its diplomatic approach. Given that Morocco has a deserved status in regional and international policies, it aspires to benefit from this status by diversifying its companies and protecting its interests and bets that this Moroccan-Russian bilateral entitlement will play a role in enhancing the partnership model between Rabat and Moscow.
