Union minister Rajnath Singh will undertake a two-day official visit to Morocco, the first ever by an Indian defence minister to the North African nation.
The visit which is scheduled from September 22, is at the invitation of Minister Delegate of National Defence of Morocco Abdeltif Loudiyi, and will underscore the growing strategic convergence between India and Morocco.
A statement from the Ministry of Defence stated that the 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, Singh 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.
The Union Minister 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, the statement elaborated.