Morocco and Russia celebrated on Friday the 65th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.
The two countries exchanged congratulatory messages, in which they expressed their mutual interest in continuing to develop and deepen their cooperation.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia and Morocco are “strategic partners” and that they “share a common interest in combating terrorism and extremism.” He also said that the two countries are “working together to develop economic and trade ties.”
The two ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to maintain effective coordination in the field of foreign policy. They said that this is in the interest of ensuring regional and international security and stability.
In 2017, Rabat and Moscow signed 11 agreements, three of them in the fields of energy, industry and agriculture. The volume of trade exchange between the two countries increased from about $200 million in 2001 to $2.5 billion in 2016.
Morocco is the second-largest African country to buy Russian oil in August 2023.
Morocco did not restrict its supplies of petroleum products from Russia when the European Union imposed sanctions on Russia on February 5. Instead, it imported coal from Russia to keep electricity costs in check.
In regards to the Ukraine conflict, Morocco maintains concern and upholds the territorial integrity of all the countries of the United Nations. Morocco has voted in favor of a UN resolutions calling on Moscow to withdraw its forces from Ukraine and achieve comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Kiev