Moroccan Prime Minister Fatima Zahra El Mansouri, representing King Mohammed VI, attended the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow. She emphasized that King Mohammed VI has consistently prioritized Africa in Morocco's foreign policy. This priority is reflected in several major initiatives, including the Atlantic African countries initiative and the royal initiative to connect Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean. These initiatives aim to foster development and stability in West Africa through modern infrastructure projects.
El Mansouri highlighted the importance of cooperation between Africa and its international partners. She noted that King Mohammed VI believes Africa needs all its international partners and that every form of cooperation is valuable as long as it is based on mutual respect and aims for comprehensive integration. El Mansouri also mentioned that the partnership between Russia and Africa has reached a new stage, shifting from planning to action. This partnership allows for the full utilization of its potential.
The Moroccan Prime Minister emphasized the need to adapt cooperation plans to Africa's priorities, including food security, energy security, industrialization, and technology transfer. She stressed the importance of focusing on these areas in the coming years. El Mansouri also stated that Morocco remains committed to this partnership and is willing to support it with its experience. Morocco aims to launch concrete and innovative cooperation initiatives.
El Mansouri noted that Africa is not the only region that needs the rest of the world; the rest of the world also needs Africa. She highlighted Africa's strength, which comes from its natural resources, human capital, geographical location, and rich history, culture, and politics. This gives Africa a growing role. The Prime Minister also mentioned that the Russia-Africa Summit is a significant milestone in the Russia-Africa partnership, which has achieved important results.
The Russia-Africa partnership has institutionalized meetings, established political dialogue, and adopted action plans. It has also opened up areas of cooperation in food security, energy, infrastructure, health, education, training, and technology transfer. El Mansouri noted that trade exchanges between Russia and Africa have exceeded $27.7 billion in 2025. She emphasized that the summit is not just an opportunity to celebrate achievements but also a chance to determine future steps.
El Mansouri discussed Morocco's relations with Russia, highlighting the long-standing friendship between the two countries. She noted that their relations have been significantly strengthened since the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2002 and a deepened strategic partnership in 2016. Morocco is now one of Russia's top three economic partners in Africa. The trade exchanges between Morocco and Russia reached $630 million in 2025.
El Mansouri concluded that despite the complex geopolitical context, Morocco and Russia have maintained significant exchanges. There are other areas of cooperation, particularly in energy, science, and technology, that are worth exploring. The two countries have established a working committee to deepen their political dialogue and explore new cooperation opportunities. The committee held its first meeting in September 2026.
Key points
- King Mohammed VI has consistently prioritized Africa in Morocco's foreign policy.
- The Russia-Africa partnership has achieved important results, including institutionalized meetings and cooperation in various areas.
- Morocco and Russia have strengthened their relations, with Morocco being one of Russia's top three economic partners in Africa.
