Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Indian peer S. Jaishankar met on Wednesday in Washington to discuss means of advancing bilateral cooperation that has evolved from friendly diplomacy to strategic interdependence anchored in food security, defense industrialization, and Africa-oroiented trade.
The meeting took place as both ministers were participating in the high-level gathering organized by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on critical mineral supply chains.
A key marker of deepening Morocco-India ties came with Indian Secretary Neena Malhotra’s November 2025 official visit to Morocco, reaffirming cooperation under more than 40 bilateral agreements spanning political dialogue, trade, security, and defense production. Malhotra held strategic talks with OCP Group Chairman Mostafa Terrab on long-term phosphate and fertilizer supply arrangements, discussing potential joint ventures and broader commercial cooperation.
Morocco’s phosphate giant OCP sits at India’s agricultural security center. Official briefings note OCP-India memoranda supplying up to 1.7 million metric tons of fertilizers, framing Morocco as buffer against volatile global supply chains and export restrictions.
Defense cooperation has shifted from procurement to co-production arrangements. In September 2025, Tata Advanced Systems opened a manufacturing plant in Berrechid near Casablanca producing the WhAP 8×8 wheeled armored platform for Morocco and potential African export, aligning with Rabat’s domestic defense industry ambitions and India’s military export expansion.
Both countries plan commemorating the 70th diplomatic relations anniversary in 2027 through comprehensive programs building on momentum established since King Mohammed VI’s 2015 India visit.
Morocco’s participation in the Washington Summit reflects its growing strategic importance in global mineral supply chains. The Kingdom holds vast critical minerals including cobalt, copper, nickel, and particularly phosphate, controlling approximately 70-75% of global phosphate reserves used in electric vehicle batteries. Its mineral resources and free-trade access to Western markets have attracted major Chinese battery and automotive firms to establish production facilities in the Kingdom, transforming Morocco into a strategic EV supply chain destination.
During the Summit, US Vice President JD Vance announced America’s proposal for a critical mineral trading bloc challenging China’s rare earth dominance. Vance called for creating “a trading bloc among allies and partners” guaranteeing access to minerals essential for industrial growth through pricing floors and coordinated mining investment.
