The North News
New Delhi, September 20
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will undertake a two-day official visit to Morocco from September 22 to 23 at the invitation of Minister Delegate of National Defence of Morocco Abdeltif Loudiyi. This will mark the first-ever visit of a Defence Minister to the North African nation, underscoring the growing strategic convergence between India and Morocco. A key highlight of the visit will be the inauguration of Tata Advanced Systems Maroc’s new manufacturing facility for the Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP) 8×8 at Berrechid. This facility is the first-ever Indian defence manufacturing plant in Africa, which marks an important milestone that reflects the growing global footprint of India’s defence industry under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. During the visit, Defence Minister will hold a bilateral meeting with Loudiyi to strengthen defence, strategic and industry cooperation. He will also call on Morocco’s Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour, to explore avenues for industrial collaboration. Rajnath Singh will also interact with the vibrant Indian community in Rabat during his visit.
Both sides are also expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the field of Defence. The MoU will provide an institutional framework to expand and deepen bilateral defence engagement, including exchanges, training, and industrial linkages. Indian Navy ships have been making regular port calls at Casablanca in recent years, and this agreement will further consolidate such ties. Ties between India and Morocco have gained momentum since King Mohammed VI’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 in India. The upcoming visit is expected to add fresh energy to this partnership, particularly in the defence and strategic sectors.
