Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, recently underscored the “excellent” relations between Russia and Morocco, a testament to the open engagement between Africa and Russia, and vice versa.
Zakharova, during the 2nd Russia-Africa Economic Forum and Summit taking place in Saint Petersburg, Russia’s cultural capital, on July 27 and 28, highlighted the “very good” cooperative relations between Russia and Morocco across various sectors.
Zakharova further emphasized the “very good cooperation” between the two nations in multiple sectors, encompassing “economics, finance, tourism, business, and many other industries.”
“We have a solid legal foundation for this cooperation,” Zakharova added, alluding to the strategic partnership agreement between Russia and Morocco that has been in effect since 2002 and was bolstered in 2016 through the signing of the “Declaration on the Deepened Strategic Partnership.”
“We promote friendship and mutual respect with Morocco. It’s a shining example of how to build relationships between countries,” she continued.
Zakharova, a guest at a meeting with African media outlets in the framework of the Russian-African Summit and Economic Forum, cast light on the traditionally “friendly and good relations” between Moscow and Rabat, discussing the evolution of the bilateral relations since the signing of the Strategic Partnership Declaration between Russia and Morocco in 2002.
According to the spokesperson, there has been a “deepening of strategic relations with Morocco, and it has borne fruit.”
She noted that Morocco ranks among the top three partners of the Russian Federation in Africa, with the kingdom ranking second in terms of exports and third in terms of imports.
Zakharova pointed out that “trade exchanges have increased by more than 25% since 2021, and the same dynamics have been registered in the first months of this year.” She stated that fishing is one of the main sectors of cooperation between the two countries.