The Moroccan Ambassador shares why he is impressed by Kazakhstani students and talks about the upcoming Moroccan Business Week in Astana.
Rachid Maaninou, Astana — Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan
About myself
I’ve dreamed of becoming a diplomat since childhood, but my career actually began in the tourism and hospitality industry. I spent over 20 years in this field, including as Head of Marketing at the Moroccan National Tourist Office. My main mission was to attract tourists to Morocco.
Later, I decided to change direction and earned a second degree in finance. I worked for an investment fund and served as an operations director. Although the work was engaging and dynamic, I felt a strong pull to return to my childhood dream.
That’s how I entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. My first diplomatic posting was in Barcelona, and three years later, I was honored to represent my country in Kazakhstan.
Tourism and diplomacy, in my view, have a lot in common: in both fields, you're building bridges between people. The difference is that now I do it not only for tourism, but also in the interest of the economy, culture, and education.
About Central Asia
I arrived in Kazakhstan on January 1, 2022 — I rang in the New Year right on the plane. In the past three and a half years, Kazakhstan has impressed me in many ways. For example, the country has young, energetic, and intelligent ministers. Kazakhstan is a young nation, and it believes in its youth — that’s inspiring.
What surprises me most are the students. Every time I give a lecture at a university, I ask the same question: “What do you want to become?” And no one says, “I’ll work for a company.” Almost everyone answers: “I’ll start my own business,” “I’ll create a project,” “I’ll be an entrepreneur.” Entrepreneurship seems to be in your blood. It’s rare, and I’ve even considered conducting a study on this phenomenon.
In Morocco, it’s quite different — young people tend to seek stable jobs. But here, I see a startup spirit and a thirst for independence. That’s a tremendous asset. This mindset builds the economy of the future — where people don’t wait for job offers, they create jobs themselves.
About my work
My mission here is to represent Morocco and build a bridge between our countries. When I first arrived, I realized that most Kazakhs knew very little about Morocco — and vice versa. So one of my first goals was to introduce our peoples to each other. We started organizing small events, meeting with the media, and sharing our culture.
For the first time in 30 years, we’ve established a truly high level of diplomatic contact. Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister visited Morocco for the first time. Most notably, Kazakhstan became the first country in Asia to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara. That’s a bold move, and we deeply appreciate it.
One of the early challenges we faced was the visa regime. Kazakhstanis couldn’t travel to Morocco without a visa, and Moroccans needed one to visit Kazakhstan. We worked closely with the Kazakh Foreign Ministry and in March this year, achieved visa-free travel for Kazakh citizens. Now you can travel to Morocco visa-free for up to 30 days — a real breakthrough.
Since lifting the visa requirement, tourism between our countries has come to life. The number of Kazakh tourists to Morocco has doubled. Many Kazakhs are used to traveling to Europe, but now they are discovering Morocco — a warm, vibrant, and entirely different destination. And flights from European cities to Morocco are often cheaper than a taxi to the airport — just 70–75 euros round trip.
We’re working to open a direct flight between our countries. It’s not easy — there are many negotiations, calculations, and logistics involved — but progress is being made. We are in talks with several airlines, including Royal Air Maroc, which plans to expand its fleet from 50 to 200 aircraft in the coming years. This is part of the preparation for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host.
Morocco is becoming an increasingly attractive destination. Last year, we welcomed over 17 million tourists — more than Egypt! When I ask my Kazakh friends what they want from travel, they often say: “We’re tired of the same old destinations. We want something new.” Morocco is exactly that kind of place.
In winter, for instance, there’s no snow in Marrakesh, but there is in the mountains. We have two ski resorts with lifts, slopes, and all the necessary facilities. And there’s a unique opportunity: you can ski in the Atlas Mountains in the morning, surf the Atlantic in the afternoon, and ride sand dunes in the Sahara in the evening — all in the same day.
In terms of trade, we’ve also resumed the supply of Moroccan citrus fruits to Kazakhstan, especially mandarins. I’ve even seen our fruits in supermarkets in Astana. At the same time, Morocco imports sulfur from Kazakhstan — a byproduct of the oil and gas industry used in fertilizer production. Morocco holds 80% of the world’s phosphate reserves and is the largest producer of fertilizers.
Our goal is to reach a new level. Currently, trade turnover is around $400-500 million. We aim to double that figure, and in October this year, we plan to hold a “Moroccan Week” for businesspeople in Astana, with a delegation of Moroccan exporters and importers.
On education
Education plays a special role in our bilateral relations. This year, for the first time, Morocco will provide 20 government scholarships to Kazakhstan. These will cover airfare, tuition, accommodation, and meals for the students.
We are also developing academic cooperation between universities. Three to four leading universities in Morocco and the same number in Kazakhstan are building direct partnerships — including student and faculty exchanges, and joint research projects. It’s like a “sister city” relationship, but in the field of education.
I always say: diplomacy isn’t just about protocols and official visits — it’s about people and friendship. If, after my time here, more Kazakhs want to visit Morocco, and more Moroccans want to discover Kazakhstan, then I’ve done my job well.