Argentina has formally requested Morocco’s support for Rafael Grossi’s bid to become the next United Nations Secretary-General. The request was made during the eighth meeting of the Joint Commission and the sixth session of political consultations between Argentina and Morocco, held on June 11 in Buenos Aires.

President Javier Milei’s government aims to position the current Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as the successor to António Guterres. Buenos Aires is now working to bring Morocco on board, recognizing that the kingdom’s diplomatic influence across Africa and in multilateral forums gives its backing weight far beyond a simple bilateral gesture. This assessment comes from the Argentine Foreign Ministry’s official readout.

The request was made during talks led on the Argentine side by Roberto Salafia, Undersecretary for International Economic Negotiations and Integration, and Juan Manuel Navarro, Undersecretary for Foreign Policy. Fouad Yazourh, Director General for International Political Affairs at Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed the kingdom’s delegation. Both sides reviewed political relations, key international dossiers, and areas for expanded cooperation.

Buenos Aires presented Grossi’s candidacy as “one of Argentina’s top diplomatic priorities in the multilateral system, led by an official experienced in international crises, great-power dialogue, and the mechanisms of international organizations.” The approach to Rabat opens a decisive African chapter in Argentina’s campaign. Selecting the next Secretary-General requires first a recommendation from the Security Council, followed by a nomination from the General Assembly.

Leading the IAEA since 2019, Rafael Grossi has gained international stature through his role in monitoring nuclear facilities in conflict zones, negotiations over Iran’s atomic program, and efforts to ensure the safety of Ukrainian power plants during the Russia-Ukraine war. Argentina officialized his candidacy at the end of 2025 and has since launched a campaign reaching out to governments across several regions.

The choice of Morocco reflects a precise diplomatic calculation. The kingdom maintains an active presence in international institutions, has a dense network across Africa, and engages with major global decision-making centers. Argentina believes that “Moroccan support could boost Mr. Grossi’s credibility on the African continent and facilitate alignments with states that will have influence in the Security Council and the General Assembly.”

The race includes several figures from Latin America and Africa. Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet already has Brazil’s support. Costa Rican Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), is also among the contenders, alongside Ecuadorian María Fernanda Espinosa and former Senegalese President Macky Sall. This crowded field forces Buenos Aires to build support beyond its regional neighborhood.

Argentine diplomacy highlights Mr. Grossi’s technical and political profile. His tenure at the IAEA gave him access to the most sensitive negotiations on proliferation, nuclear security, and armed conflicts. Buenos Aires presents him as “a diplomat capable of speaking with major powers, maintaining dialogue channels during tense periods, and restoring a stronger political action capacity to the UN.”

Morocco occupies a unique place in this strategy. Its weight in the Maghreb, its relations with many African states, its activity in multilateral institutions, and its partnerships with Europe, the United States, and Southern powers make it a sought-after interlocutor. Rabat’s support would give Argentina a political relay in a region where the battle for votes could prove decisive.

The Buenos Aires consultations also broadened the economic dialogue. Trade between Argentina and Morocco reached $1.092 billion in 2025, a level that makes the kingdom Argentina’s second-largest African export market. The delegations studied ways to increase the share of higher-value-added products and open new areas of cooperation.

Agriculture, energy, health, tourism, food safety, and air links were central to the discussions. Officials agreed on “the need to give bilateral trade a denser structure, to bring competent administrations closer together, and to encourage joint projects in sectors where the two economies have immediate complementarities.”

For Argentina, Morocco represents a market, a gateway to Africa, and a political partner. The kingdom’s automotive industry, fertilizer sector, aeronautics, and textiles have increased its weight in regional production chains. Buenos Aires sees this industrial base as fertile ground for trade agreements, technical cooperation, and a broader presence for Argentine companies on the continent.

Morocco, for its part, sees in Argentina a major agricultural supplier and a partner capable of expanding its ties with South America. Talks covered sanitary conditions for agri-food products, energy expertise exchanges, and the opening of air routes to shorten the commercial and diplomatic distances between the two sides of the Atlantic.

Finally, the Argentine delegation emphasized that “the relationship with Rabat now goes beyond trade and offers a space for political coordination on major international balances, South-South cooperation, and the representation of Southern countries in global institutions.”