Marrakech – Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita held a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday. The call aimed to strengthen and consolidate political dialogue and traditionally friendly relations between the two countries.
Both ministers expressed satisfaction with significant progress in bilateral relations, which have developed under the joint leadership of King Mohammed VI and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The ministers noted the importance of continuing and deepening the work accomplished since 2016, when Morocco and Russia established a “strategic partnership” during the King’s visit to Moscow.
Bourita and Lavrov discussed upcoming bilateral events, particularly the preparations for the eighth joint commission meeting. They also exchanged views on regional and international issues, agreeing to maintain political dialogue between their countries in a constructive spirit of mutual respect.
The call comes amid Rabat’s pragmatic approach to relations with the Kremlin. These ties are issue-based rather than ideological, according to recent analyses.
Both countries have maintained regular high-level contact, including meetings between Bourita and Lavrov at the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2024 and at the Russia-Africa ministerial conference in Sochi in November 2024.
Morocco has long attempted to balance its position on the Ukraine war. The kingdom was absent from the first UN General Assembly vote in March 2022 but later supported the February 2023 resolution urging Russia’s withdrawal.
For its part, Moscow has kept communication channels open while remaining non-committal on the Western Sahara dispute – abstaining on Security Council renewals of MINURSO in 2023 and 2024 and stressing a UN-led process.
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Economic relations between Morocco and Russia are primarily transactional and growing around food security, fisheries, and travel. Drought conditions have kept Morocco importing heavily: Rabat extended wheat-import subsidies through the end of 2025, and Russian wheat shipments have surged, with over 1.1 million tons delivered by the end of June.
In maritime cooperation, the long-running Morocco-Russia fisheries framework, which has been renewed multiple times since 1992, expired in late 2024. Both countries have been working in 2025 to conclude a new four-year agreement.
Air connections also support the relationship, with Royal Air Maroc having resumed direct Casablanca-Moscow flights in 2023, facilitating tourism and business ties despite broader geopolitical tensions.
According to a report published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in October 2024, trade between Morocco and Russia grew by 42% in 2021 alone.
The report noted that Morocco depends on Russian imports of key agricultural products such as ammonia and fertilizer to sustain its farming sector, which employs approximately 45% of the Moroccan workforce and contributes to 15% of its GDP.
The Carnegie report further indicated that “Morocco does not factor significantly into Russia’s strategy to gain influence in the Maghreb, given Rabat’s enduring security ties with the United States and Europe.”
Nevertheless, Morocco has maintained substantial economic relations with Russia while trying to “steer a middle course” amid growing Western pressure on Russia since the start of the Ukraine war.
