The Russian Ambassador to Morocco confirmed that his country appreciates Morocco's balanced position on the ongoing war in Ukraine, noting that this political rapprochement has positively impacted economic exchanges between the two countries. Vladimir Baybakov, the Russian Federation's Ambassador to Morocco, stated that Moscow highly values Rabat's balanced stance toward the ongoing events in Ukraine. In a statement to TASS agency, he added, «Russia appreciates Morocco's balanced position on Ukrainian events, as well as Rabat's refusal to engage in any anti-Russian actions regarding this issue». Morocco has chosen to abstain from multiple United Nations voting sessions that condemn Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine. He continued, «For Russia, Morocco is considered a friendly country and strategic partner. The special nature of our relations was strengthened through agreements signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and King Mohammed VI. These relations have withstood the test of time, including geopolitical turbulence and financial and economic crises in recent years». He explained that «regarding the impact of Western sanctions, we feel their effect, especially in banking services. However, Russia and Morocco have managed to address all issues in a spirit of cooperation and in service of both countries' peoples' interests». Baybakov said that this year witnessed «active political dialogue between Moscow and Rabat». He specifically noted «the participation of a Moroccan delegation headed by Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in a ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, held in November 2024 in Sochi». This political rapprochement has been reflected economically, with the Russian Ambassador confirming that both countries «continue to successfully strengthen their» trade and economic cooperation. He stated, «In the past year, relations between Russia and Morocco continued their gradual development in all areas, particularly in trade and economic cooperation, where trade volume maintained high levels. We have also recently witnessed significant growth in agricultural product exports». He added, «Russia currently ranks second in grain and legume exports to Morocco, with total exports in 2024 reaching about 766,000 tons. For comparison, Russia ranked eighth in 2023 with export volume of 209,000 tons. Exports mainly included soft wheat, corn, and barley». He noted that during the past year, several trade missions to Morocco were organized for companies from various Russian regions, including Moscow, Moscow suburbs, St. Petersburg, Tatarstan, Altai Territory, and the Sverdlovsk and Kaluga regions. Baybakov confirmed that «there are undoubtedly untapped possibilities in the strategic partnership between Russia and Morocco. In the new year, we will work on exploiting these possibilities and filling the relationships with new and genuine content». He added that both sides agreed to hold a new meeting of the Joint Russian-Moroccan Intergovernmental Commission for Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation in Moscow in 2025.
