King Mohammed VI received Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who is on an official visit to Morocco, as part of strengthening relations between Morocco and Russia. Lavrov is on a tour that also includes Algeria and Tunisia.
The Royal Court said that this comes as part of the in-depth strategic partnership achieved on the occasion of the historic visit of the King to Moscow in March 2016.
This exceptional tie has led to a deep and multi-dimensional development of relations between the two countries and has opened ambitious prospects for enhancing the political dialogue and strengthening the economic cooperation, added the Court.
The meeting was marked by satisfaction with the implementation, under this partnership, of major projects and actions in priority areas such as agriculture, fisheries, energy, industry and tourism.
The King renewed, on this occasion, the invitation extended to Russian President Vladimir Putin, to visit Morocco, MAP reported.
The talks also addressed the different regional and international issues of shared interest, particularly in the Middle East and Africa.
This audience was attended by the Russian delegation including Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia's Ambassador to Morocco, Valerian Shuvaev, and Director of MENA Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Kintchak. The Moroccan side included: King's advisors Fouad Ali El-Himma and Abdeltif Menouni, and Foreign minister Nasser Bourita.
FM Lavrov also held a joint press conference with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita, and met a number of top officials. The talks discussed recent developments and means of enhancing the strategic partnership between Morocco and Russia.
Lavrov began his visit to Morocco by visiting the tomb of King Mohammed V, grandfather of the current Moroccan monarch and leader of Morocco's national independence battle. The tomb also houses the tomb of the late King Hassan II.
“In honor of the memory of two kings who led their country towards independence, progress and contributed to the development of friendly relations between Morocco and Russia," the Russian foreign minister signed in the golden book of the shrine.
Since the King’s visit to Moscow in March 2016, at the invitation of the Russian President, the Russian-Moroccan relations entered a new phase which included many agreements, especially in the economic field, namely the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
In addition, Morocco has expressed interest in importing Russian natural gas within the framework of the new energy plan.
The monarch first met President Putin in 2002, and four years later, Putin visited Morocco.
