Despite the difficult international situation, at a time when a planetary minority persists in refusing to officially admit the multipolar order, Russian-Moroccan relations maintain the course of an interesting development. And this despite Western opposition.
Although the impact of Western sanctions targeting Russia has been felt for both Russian and Moroccan economic operators, particularly in the context of the organization of reciprocal financial transactions, the fact is that the two parties, against all odds, not only maintain the orientation of existing sectors and joint projects but are already opening up to new horizons.
The agricultural sector obviously remains one of the first concerns. Knowing that Russia represents one of Morocco’s main export markets in the agri-food sector and that for Moroccan citrus fruits the Russian market certainly remains the main one. As such, and as the Moroccan newspaper L’Opinion recalls, Russia has seen its supply of fruit and vegetables increase to 5.1 million tonnes, for the first seven months of the current year, of which 45% of this total volume would come from Morocco.
In the other direction, Russia says it is ready to multiply by 10 its agricultural exports to the Kingdom, particularly in the context of cereals, meat, vegetable oils, sugar, and other products. Moreover, and with particular regard to the strategic question of the supply of cereals, the head of the Russian trade representation in Rabat, Artem Tsinamdzgvrishvili, recalled Russia’s full readiness to supply the country with the necessary volumes.
It should certainly be remembered that Morocco is part of the Top 3 of Moscow’s main economic and commercial partners in Africa. The other area of great interaction between the two countries is that of fishing, where everything seems to be moving towards a new and highly interesting phase. Beyond the renewal of the agreement for Russian vessels to fish in Moroccan waters, Morocco’s economic capital – Casablanca – would become a major repair and maintenance center for Russian fishing vessels, operating in the Atlantic Ocean.
And this is at the expense of the Spanish city of Las Palmas, with the key of hundreds of millions of equivalent euros which will be paid to local shipyards and hundreds of jobs for Moroccan citizens. But that too is not all. More and more Russian economic operators are interested in investment projects on Moroccan soil, most often with the benevolence of the competent local authorities.
Finally, the question of cooperation in the civil nuclear sector has been added to the basket of joint projects, including the possibility of the construction of a nuclear power plant by one of the main world players in this field – the state-owned company Russian Rosatom. If the experts are already discussing the possibility of this project, its feasibility, and the timing necessary for its realization in the event of final confirmation, the fact is that it is already worrying the media torchbearer of Françafrique, the magazine Jeune Afrique, even going so far as to say that in the event of the realization of the said project – this would represent “a new proof of distrust vis-à-vis France”.
In conclusion, it would certainly be fair to say that despite the opposition of certain elements – both internal and external – to the development of new and major joint Russian-Moroccan projects, the main decision-makers on both sides seem generally motivated to pursue the path of greater interaction. And that is the main thing.
