Former russian diplomat publishes book on Moroccan-Russian relations

Nataly Podgornova, who served in 1968 as a diplomat in Morocco for the former USSR, has published a book on relations between Morocco and Russia between 1777 and 1916, based on the archives of the Russian foreign ministry and notes and analyses of diplomats in Morocco.

The authors presented her book "history of Russian-Moroccan relations between 1777 and 1916" in the presence of a host of Arab and African ambassadors in Moscow, Russian diplomats and researchers in the African institute.

The book traces the importance that Russia granted to the country in view of its strategic location at the meeting point of two seas, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. She said it took her ten years to compile her 600-page book that "restores a long-ignored reality that Morocco and Russia have always had long-standing relations of friendship and understanding."

Moroccan ambassador in Russia stressed that the book, a priceless historical reference, will be of great help to researchers seeking to deepen knowledge on the close Moroccan-Russian relations.

The author regretted that her book was not translated into Arabic and French to ensure a wider readership.