King Mohammed VI: Morocco Seeks to Deepen its Relations with Russia, China and India

PERSISMA, Rabat – King Mohammed VI said on Wednesday his country “remains committed to its strategic relations with its allies” as it pursues renewed political and economic relationships with Russia and other world powers.

“Morocco has, in recent months, sought to diversify its partnerships at political, strategic and economic levels,” the Moroccan monarch said during the joint summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council. “My successful visit to Russia, last month, is part of that process.”

During meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in March, the king signed several cooperation agreements in the fields of security, economic development and more. The move marked a “new era” of relations between the two states, according to officials.

Relations between Putin’s government and two GCC member countries have been strained over the past few years. Customs officers in Doha allegedly assaulted the Russian ambassador to Qatar in 2011, causing both countries to downsize relations after the Arab state decided against issuing a formal apology for the incident as demanded by Putin.

Russia’s relationship with Saudi Arabia has been tense as well, due to Putin’s increasing arms sales to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s regime, which has killed countless civilians. Last November, Saudi Arabia pushed the U.N. General Assembly’s human rights committee to pass a resolution condemning Russian and Iranian involvement in the Syrian civil war.

Bahrain, on the other hand, has grown relations with the Eastern European country by purchasing Russian weapons during Arab Spring protests that threatened the future of the monarchy. The United States, as well as other key arms supplying countries, had refused to continue selling weapons to Bahrain amidst the demonstrations.

The king also said he plans to develop stronger ties to India and China during his visits to the two Asian countries in the coming months.