Morocco denies ban on Russian oil imports

Morocco on Tuesday denied reports about banning Russian oil imports.

“Russian gas imports rose to 13% in the period from early January to February 27,” Minister of Economy and Finance Nadia Fettah Alaoui said.

Last week, members of the Social Union Party in parliament said the government had suspended oil imports from Russia following the imposition of Western sanctions against Moscow.

“The Russian gas imports accounted for 9% in 2020. The Russian imports dropped to 5% in 2021, before they rose again to 9% in 2022,” the minister said.

Alaoui said the average price for Russian gas reached 9,522 dirhams ($916) per ton, compared to 10,138 dirhams ($975) per ton for the rest of gas imports from other countries.

Morocco’s consumption of petroleum products in 2021 reached 11.2 million tons, according to official data.

* Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report