Russia-Africa Partnership Forum: Morocco and Russia’s FMs meet
Morocco’s minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita met with his Russian counterpart on November 10th at the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, according to MiddleEastOnline and agencies
The meeting in Sochi was held on the sidelines of the First Ministerial Conference of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum.
Bourita and his Russian counterpart Serguei Lavrov discussed bilateral issues and exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest.
The longstanding ties between Morocco and Russia were strengthened by HM King Mohammed VI’s historic Royal Visit to Moscow in 2016.
Morocco-Russia relations are particularly marked by regular high-level dialogue, reports the MiddleEastOnline.
Prior to the meeting at the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, their foreign ministers held meetings in September this year and in December 2023.
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The meeting comes after Russia’s State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin visit to its neighbour and rival Algeria in July, according to Levantis.me.
According to the Algerian People’s National Assembly (APN) the high-profile visit represented a “pivotal step in deepening ties between Russia and Algeria.”
Russian-Algerian relations were previously strained as the North African nation’s bid to enter the growing BRICS economic bloc was rejected in late August.
Instead, BRICS admitted six new countries, including Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, justifying the choice, said they were “like-minded” and believed in a “multi-polar world order” while seeking “more democracy and justice in international relations.”
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Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s response to the rejection seemed to sweep ill feelings under the rug.
Algeria has previously shown public disapproval of Moscow’s policies in the Sahel region by calling for the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries in Libya.
A particular thorn in relations is Moscow’s presence in Mali through its closer cooperation with junta rule in Bamako, contrary to Algeria’s interests in the region.
Other international developments that have disrupted the pace of diplomatic efforts include Algeria’s openness to Europe’s growing demand for gas.
The onset of the war in Ukraine led to an 180 percent price increase in gas across Europe within the first two weeks of the invasion, prompting nations to seek non-Russian sources of gas.
Algeria has proved to be a viable energy alternative to the EU, leading to a deterioration of relations between Algiers and Moscow.
MiddleEastOnline and Maghrebi.org
