On March 16, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report from Rabat: “Russian civilian planes are finding themselves forced to change their flight course, and some of them are stopping at a Moroccan airport on their way to Latin America due to the embargo imposed by Europe against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, Morocco’s airports will not just be transit stops. They will rather become a favored destination of Russia’s tourists after the authorities in Moscow urged them to spend their holidays in the land of the sun, sea, and desert. This is the first fruit picked from the orchard of Moroccan-Russian relations after Rabat chose to remain neutral in the ongoing war on Ukrainian soil. Indeed, Morocco had chosen not to attend the United Nations General Assembly session to vote on a resolution condemning Russia and demanding the immediate cessation of its military operations in Ukraine, and its withdrawal from the country.

“The Moroccan position thus insisted on the respect of the sovereignty of all the UN member states, while stressing the need to avoid using force to settle conflicts. But it did not feature a clear condemnation of Russia, which observers viewed as having political and economic dimensions, primarily serving Morocco’s interests in light of its wish to diversify its major partners and its focus on the Sahara issue, thus hoping to gain more supporters in favor of its position to give the southern regions of the country autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty. So today, Morocco was not on the list of “unfriendly countries” released by Moscow…, which will result in the normal continuation of the economic relations between the two countries, though the Russian-Ukrainian war reshaped global trade and the supply chain after the Western states imposed harsh economic and financial sanctions on Moscow.

“In parallel, Moscow views Rabat as one of its most important partners in the African Continent, noting that the Russian exports to Morocco have been on the rise and increased by 20% last year… However, the Moroccan exports to the Russian market have been evolving at a slower pace, thus rising by 11% at the end of 2021. Therefore, Russia is still widely benefitting from its trade with Morocco because the trade balance is tilting in favor of Moscow… And while Rabat and Moscow are constantly trying to strengthen their economic partnership, it is worth noting that each of them is actually trying to achieve its own interests. Indeed, Morocco is seeking new partners to consolidate its independence from the European Union, while Russia is seeking alternatives to guarantee its agricultural supplies. In addition, the Moroccan Kingdom’s emergence as an economic regional power in Africa renders it a potential gateway for direct Russian foreign investment in the dark continent…”