Moroccan-Israeli defense cooperation reviewed in Rabat
Rabat hosted this January 16-17 the first meeting of the Monitoring Committee for Moroccan Israeli Defense Cooperation.
the General Staff of the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces (FAR) said in a statement that the meeting was held in accordance with “high instructions” from King Mohammed VI, the supreme chief and chief of General Staff of FAR.
The meeting was co-chaired by FAR Inspector General and Commander of the South Zone, Lieutenant General Belkhir El Farouk, and Dror Shalom, Director of the Office of Political-Military Affairs of the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
The meeting discussed the various areas of bilateral military cooperation, including logistics and training as well as the acquisition and modernization of equipment, the statement said.
The two sides welcomed the level of bilateral military cooperation, and agreed to further strengthen this cooperation and expand it to other areas, including intelligence, air defense and electronic warfare, said the statement which quoted Lieutenant General Belkhir El Farouk as saying that the Moroccan-Israeli military cooperation “carries mutual interests and is based on trust and reciprocal support”.
On the sidelines of the Monitoring Committee’s meetings, Moroccan and Israeli officials, both civilian and military, also exchanged views on bilateral cooperation.
The conclusions of the first meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Moroccan-Israeli defense cooperation were adopted this January 17, 2023 by both parties.
Morocco and Israel have been vowing to boost cooperation in all fields, particularly in security matters, since the two countries re-established diplomatic ties in December 2020.
Many Israeli officials have since then stressed Morocco’s important contribution to regional peace and stability and vowed Israel’s determination to further advance cooperation with the Kingdom.
As part of cooperation in the military field, FAR acquired Israel’s Skylock Dome System in 2021. The Moroccan military also received five anti-drone defense systems from the same company as part of its approach to upgrade its defensive power.
