Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboulgheit, have agreed to host the upcoming Arab-Russian Summit in Marrakech in December this year.
The official website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the Arab-Russian Summit as a crucial step in Arab-Russian cooperation.
The summit was initially to be held after the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, but Russia requested its postponement indefinitely. This postponement was interpreted as indicative of an underlying silent crisis between Morocco and Russia.
Rabat and Moscow have maintained their relations despite the implications of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Morocco’s presence at the recent Russian-African summit is a testament to their strong ties.
These relations are expected to achieve advanced levels with the convening of the summit with Arab nations in Marrakesh.
Abbas Elouardi, a professor of public law at Mohammed V Univesity in Rabat, told MoroccoLatestNews AR the timing of this summit is a clear signal of the ongoing strategic relationship between Morocco and Russia.
Elouardi said that Russian continues to maintain a positive stance on the national issue, refraining from playing behind the scenes making contradictory statements.
Elouardi also pointed out that Rabat’s policy of diversifying its international partnerships has been successful, and Lavrov’s statement instills confidence in Moscows commitment to building cooperation and strengthening relations.
Mohamed Nachtaoui, an expert in international relations, notes that despite the repercussions of the conflict in Ukraine, positive relations between Rabat and Moscow have accelerated the Arab-Russian Summit’s organization in Marrakesh.
Nachtaoui added that the summit falls within Russia’s efforts to establish a new world order and the outlines of this effort emerged during the recent BRICS summit.
Regarding Algeria’s potential participation in the summit, Nachtaoui said that Algeria must overcome its enmity and join the summit delegates to discuss cooperation.
Nachtaoui added that Morocco’s policy of diversifying its partners has been successful in maintaining good relations with various countries including Russia and the United States.