Russia is contemplating the signing of an investment protection agreement with Morocco, as reported by Moscow media outlets. This announcement was made by Pavel Kalmychek, the Director of the Department of Bilateral Cooperation Development at the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, during an economic forum held this week in the Russian capital. Morocco features on a list that includes the Republic of Congo, Mali, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Burkina Faso, according to the Russian official. These agreements are designed to double trade volumes with African nations, he noted. To recall, in August 2023, President Vladimir Putin included Morocco, alongside Algeria, Egypt, and Tunisia, in his initiative to establish a free trade zone with North African countries. A few months following these announcements, Yuri Ushakov, Putin's advisor on international affairs, disclosed that the kingdom was expressing interest in joining the BRICS bloc. Rabat and Moscow are currently collaborating on the agenda for the VIII Joint Commission. This subject was addressed during a telephone conversation on September 9 between Nasser Bourita and Sergey Lavrov. Morocco and Russia had already signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2002, which was further strengthened in 2016 by the Declaration on the Deepened Strategic Partnership during King Mohammed VI's visit to Moscow.
