Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will embark on a two-day official visit to Morocco from September 22-23, to further strengthen the growing strategic convergence between India and the North African nation, the Ministry of Defence announced on September 20S. The visit at the invitation of Morocco’s Minister Delegate of National Defence, Abdeltif Loudiyi, will mark the first-ever visit of an Indian Defence Minister to the North African nation.
According to the Ministry of Defence, 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, the Ministry mentioned.
During the visit, Rajnath 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. He will also interact with the vibrant Indian community in Rabat, the capital of Morocco.
“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,” a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence said.
