Rabat – Morocco and Russia are exploring avenues of cooperation in the aviation field, an industry that Rabat considers a priority field.
Russia’s Deputy Minister of Transport, Dmitry Zverev, held talks with his Moroccan counterpart, Abdessamad Kayouh, on Saturday in Istanbul on the sidelines of the Global Forum on Transport Connectivity.
The two officials discussed the air route connecting Morocco to Moscow, and the possibility of making it a daily flight due to the increasing demand from Moroccan and African travelers.
The minister said that his discussion with his counterpart also covered the potential signing of a memorandum of understanding in the near future, covering road, rail, and maritime transport, stressing the importance of boosting cooperation between the two countries.
Zverev said that he discussed developments in the road transport sector with Kayouh, noting that Moscow is also committed to enhancing bilateral cooperation in civil aviation with Rabat.
Speaking at the session on the sidelines of the event on Saturday, Kayouh stressed King Mohammed VI’s leadership, which placed African cooperation at the heart of Morocco’s foreign policy and development model.
Morocco’s African vision
He said that enhancing continental connectivity is a strategic lever for achieving the shared African ambition, noting that Morocco prioritizes large-scale infrastructure projects that seek to accelerate African integration and open up landlocked Sahel countries.
He cited the Dakhla Atlantic Port as an example of Morocco’s ambition, as well as the Atlantic Initiative.
He said the Dakhla port is designed to facilitate Sahel countries’ access to the Atlantic Ocean, noting that the hub will serve as a vital link connecting Sub-Saharan Africa to the Atlantic space and expanding the Sahel’s regional openness.
The Moroccan minister acknowledged loopholes, including weak infrastructure on the continent, as well as regulatory disparities, lack of coordination, and financing gaps that challenge African integration.
Kayouh also advocated for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area as well as the establishment of multimodal transport corridors and an increase in financing capacity for cross-border logistics projects.
Morocco has been actively working to develop a high-performance regional logistics platform, through major hubs like Tanger Med, NadorWest Med, and Dakhla Atlantic, Kayouh said, adding that this infrastructure positions Morocco as a vital bridge between the continent and the globe.