Trade between Russia and the Maghreb: Trends and Prospects

Abstract

The article analyzes the current state of trade and economic relations between Russia and the Maghreb. The author considers the objectives of this cooperation, its potential and dynamics, as well as models of its implementation. The author comes to the conclusion that the potential of trade and economic cooperation is far from exhausted. Trade relations between the two countries developed ambiguously in the formation of the tendency to increase trade turnover. Investments remain insignificant, however, in the presence of a number of joint projects. Trade is unbalanced, both by country and by export-import flows, by year. Among the reasons, the author highlights the lack of timely and reliable information about the state of the partner countries ' markets, their legislative framework, mentality and peculiarities of business culture, as well as the preservation of models of interaction that do not correspond to modern realities, including the lack of understanding of the importance of the region in Russia. The author substantiates the point of view that the parties have both the opportunity and the need to further develop the potential of trade and economic cooperation to strengthen the Russian presence in the region, represented by both public and private structures in a number of areas, among which a special place is occupied by energy, engineering, chemistry and petrochemistry. In addition, it is important to intensify the development of cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Maghreb countries in the social sphere, primarily in the areas of health and education, as well as in the cultural sphere.