To circumvent international payment and trade sanctions and restrictions. The Russian diplomat said trade between the two countries was suffering from payment “difficulties” due to the exclusion of several Russian banks from the Swift financial transaction system.
Russia seems to take care of its trade with Morocco. In this sense, the Russian ambassador to the Kingdom, Valerian Shuvaev, proposes the use of alternative solutions while his country is facing economic sanctions since the outbreak of violence with Ukraine. In an interview with Spanish news agency EFE, the Russian diplomat said trade between the two countries was suffering from payment “difficulties” due to the exclusion of several Russian banks from the Swift financial transaction system. To avoid the disruption of trade, Valerian Shuvaev proposed the use of barter or the use of currencies other than the dollar and the euro, or even national currencies.
If the Russian authorities are interested in trade with Morocco, it is because the performance of bilateral trade has been among the most dynamic in recent years. In this sense, the Russian ambassador recalled during his interview with the Spanish media that Moroccan exports to Russia show a positive trend, since in 2021 they increased by 10.8% compared to 2020, and their value reached 435 million dollars. These exports are mainly represented by food and agricultural raw materials (46.7%), textiles and footwear (33.8%), machinery, equipment, and vehicles (15.3%), minerals (2%), and metals and derivatives (1%). The same source pointed out that Russian exports to Morocco have experienced “record growth”, and that at the end of 2021 they increased by 58, 5% compared to the previous year, exceeding 1,200 million dollars, which represents the best figure among all African countries, according to Mr. Shuvaev. Morocco imports from Russia mainly mineral products (61.8%), as well as chemical and rubber industry products (27.2%), metals and their derivatives (5.5%), food products and agricultural raw materials (3.4%), wood, pulp, and paper (1.2%) and machinery, equipment and vehicles (0.8%).
If the Russian authorities are worried about economic exchanges, on the Moroccan side in particular families are worried about the fate of their children who are studying at university in Russia. The financial sanctions, mainly the exclusion of several Russian banks from the Swift financial transaction system, make the transfer of funds to Russia very complicated. As a reminder, the minister delegate in charge of relations with Parliament, government spokesperson, Mustapha Baitas, had announced that the government was in the process of examining the solutions necessary to help Moroccan students pursuing their studies in Russia, after the withdrawal of this country from the international financial system (Swift). Speaking at a press briefing after the Government Council, Mr.
Telephone interviews
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, had telephone conversations on March 22, 2022, with his Russian, Sergei Lavrov, and Ukrainian, Dmytro Kuleba counterparts. In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that the exchanges between the two ministers focused in particular on the situation in Ukraine. Sergei Lavrov informed his Moroccan counterpart “of the objectives of the special military operation” and took stock of the progress of the negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. For its part, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry underlined in a message posted on its Twitter account that it discussed with Nasser Bourita “ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, including within the United Nations, to step up global humanitarian assistance to Ukraine”. Minister Nasser Bourita expressed his gratitude to Ukraine for the efforts made to successfully evacuate Moroccan students.
Moroccan reaction to the conflict
Last February, Morocco issued a press release detailing the Moroccan reaction following the conflict in Ukraine. The press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad thus announced that the Kingdom of Morocco was following with concern the evolution of the situation between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The same source had reported that “the Kingdom of Morocco reiterates its support for the territorial integrity and national unity of all United Nations Member States”. “The Kingdom of Morocco also recalls its attachment to the principle of non-use of force for the settlement of disputes between States and encourages all initiatives and actions promoting a peaceful settlement of conflicts,” the statement concluded.
