Russian Federation (RF) is trying to detour the sanctions imposed by the USA and EU after it invaded Ukraine by the end of February 2022. For that, the government is increasing the pace in volumes and varieties of the products in export, and strengthening its partnerships all over the world. Morocco is one of the oldest Russian partners, especially in agricultural trade. With its strategic location, Morocco plays a great role in being the crossroads of civilizations and international trade. Many exchanges had been done between the two countries since the beginning of their relations in the 18th century. Cultural, agricultural, services, energetic, and security agreements had been signed.
By the beginning of the crisis, Morocco had made no statement against Russia in the UN. Russia is trying to become closer and gain Moroccan partnership. First by getting the agreement of seaports for Russian trade with Latin America et West African countries. And also, for agricultural agreements between the Moroccan Kingdom and the Russian Federation
The main Russian export goods to the Moroccan market did not change, the RF exports oil, ammonia, sulfur, nitrogen and potash fertilizers, lumber, and metal products. And the basis of imports from Morocco to Russia are traditionally citrus fruits, coffee extracts concentrate, and tomatoes.
Agreements: agriculture, fishing, energy, pharmaceutics, and security:
Regarding economic relations between Morocco and Russia, the volume of trade in agricultural field had reached 2.9 billion DH during the period 2015-2019, representing 19% on average of overall trade between the two countries. Above all, Morocco is also positioned as the top 5 trade partners of Russia in Africa, agricultural exports to Russia averaged 1.8 billion DH during 2015-2019, an average 82% share of Morocco’s overall exports to Russia, as a result of the agricultural cooperation called “the green corridor”.
The volume of trade between the two countries at the end of 2021 increased by 42%, amounting to 1.6 billion dollars. The trade representative of the Russian Federation in Morocco, Artem Tsinamdzgvrishvili expected, an increase in the number of Russian Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) on the Moroccan market.
Morocco has a trade deficit that amounted to 778.4 million dollars in 2021. but the bilateral trade has experienced a considerable jump, especially in terms of quality.
In 2021, they experienced a 10.8% increase over 2020. Their value reached 435 million dollars. Morocco exported to Russia the food and agricultural raw materials (46.7%) which are mainly citrus fruits, which was valued by 1.3 billion DH between 2018 and 2020. Since 1992, thanks to a fishing agreement, 10 Russian vessels float in Moroccan waters beyond 15 nautical miles. Each vessel offers work for 16 sailors. with the right to fish 140,000 tons of fish, including 23% of sardines and sardinals.
An agreement for the construction of a petrochemical complex worth nearly 2 billion euro in Morocco was signed in Sotschi during the Russia-Africa summit. Three years earlier, the Kingdom had chosen Russia to supply it with liquefied natural gas (LNG), in a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of energy, where the company Gazprom expressed its desire to develop and build the regasification plant, but Morocco abandoned this project after the agreement of the construction of the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline.
During the visit of the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to Morocco in 2017, a memorandum of understanding on renewable energy between the Ministry of Energy, the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN), and the Russian Ministry of Energy, signed by Mr. Rebbah and Mustapha Bakkoury, director of MASEN, and Mr. Novak. It also concluded another memorandum of understanding between the National Center for Energy, Science and Nuclear Techniques (CNESTEN) and the International Rosatom Network on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, was signed by the Director General of CNESTEN, Khalid Mediouri, and the Director of the Middle East Office of Rosatom Network, Alexander Voronkov.
The Russian laboratory Biocad signed on March 14, 2016 in Moscow, an agreement with Sothema Laboratories to produce anticancer medicines in Morocco. It was not the first partnership between the two laboratories. Biocad and Sothema had already signed several contracts, in particular for the supply of medicines against hepatitis C and for example. The company has invested 13,553 million rubles in the development of drugs against hepatitis C and cancer. Its sales reached more than 10 billion rubles in 2015. Adding, that Morocco had ordered one million doze of Russian vaccine Sputnik V in spring 2021, following the spread of the virus COVID-19.
In February 2012, Morocco and Russia signed a military cooperation agreement. During the visit of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. The harvest of agreements also includes a military component, aimed at strengthening cooperation in this area. Russian military equipment by Morocco from 1990 to 2014 represented only 4% of all Moroccan Forces acquisitions, cost 156 million dollars.
Since the resumption of Russian-Moroccan relations after the fall of the USSR, Morocco had ordered 100 Konkurs anti-tank missiles in 2000. In 2005, it also ordered 12 2S6M Tunguska SPAAG/SAM system, and 9M311 Treugolnik SAM, according to SIPRI.
The relations after the Ukraine crisis:
By the beginning of the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, Morocco kept its neutrality and refrained from any condemnations and sanctions of Russia within the UN.
But in the beginning of July, Moroccan government had refused to rich a new transhipment facility in Casablanca to handle commodities bound for Russia and to establish a trading house through which Russia might acquire items from foreign countries, especially Latin American and West African ones. The idea was to construct a hub in Morocco for the supply of commodities to be shipped to Russia, replacing European seaports.
The volume of Russia’s exports to Morocco has doubled in the first half of 2022, exceeding 950 million dollars and bringing bilateral trade to almost 1.6 billion dollars, Russian media reported the information of the Russian trade representative in Morocco. Even with the removal of Russia from SWIFT system.
In August the 22nd, Rosselkhoznadzor and the National Directorate of Food Safety of the Kingdom of Morocco have agreed veterinary certificates for export from the Russian Federation to Morocco: pig gut raw materials and bovine, ovine and caprine raw materials, edible fats and oils, and unprocessed natural foods of vegetable origin intended for use as animal feed. these exports to Morocco can be increased by $500 million a year, including products such as cereals, meat, vegetable oils, sugar, cakes and starch.
Two Russian stores have opened their doors the last two years. the first was opened in Tangier in July 2021. the second one is in Rabat which was opened this year. they present products coming from Russia.
Morocco always chose to diversify its economic partnerships. However, it has very good relations with the United States and the member countries of the EU, it does not neglect the other super-powers like Russia. This strategy allows the kingdom to guarantee its sovereignty on the one hand. And on the other, the diversity of partners opens several doors in the field of cultural and diplomatic exchanges.