Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Morocco is seeking to deepen its economic partnership with India by positioning itself as a strategic gateway for Indian industries to access European and African markets.
The North African nation, which has emerged as a major industrial hub and a key supplier of phosphates to India, is inviting greater collaboration in sectors such as defence, automotive, aerospace, green technologies and logistics, according to reports.
The development come at a time when India and Morocco have intensified high-level engagements in recent months.
Last September, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh held discussions with visiting Moroccan Secretary of State for Foreign Trade Omar Hejira in New Delhi, with both sides exploring ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation.
The growing partnership was also underscored by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s landmark visit to Morocco, the first-ever by an Indian Defence Minister.
During the visit, India and Morocco signed a Memorandum of Understanding on defence cooperation and held discussions on counter-terrorism, maritime security, cyber defence and capacity building.
A major highlight of the visit was the joint inauguration of Tata Advanced Systems Limited’s defence manufacturing facility in Berrechid by Rajnath Singh and Moroccan Defence Minister Abdelatif Loudyi.
The state-of-the-art facility, spread across 20,000 square metres, will manufacture the indigenously developed Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP) 8×8, jointly designed by Tata Advanced Systems and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
