Moroccan Army’s Chief of Staff participates in International Conference on Defense Innovation in Tel Aviv
Lieutenant General Belkhir El Farouk, the Inspector General of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR) and Commander of South Zone, flew to Israel to participate in an international conference on defense innovation organized by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), held in Tel Aviv Sept. 12 to 15, said the FAR General Staff in a statement.
Lieutenant General Belkhir El Farouk, who is accompanied by a large military delegation, is making the trip at the instructions of King Mohammed VI, Supreme Commander and Chief of Staff of the Royal Armed Forces.
Morocco’s participation in this international conference, along several army chiefs and agencies of defense innovation, is part of a multilateral framework to promote the exchange of knowledge and know-how between the participating armies. It also aims to lay the foundations for a solid collaboration in the field of multidimensional defense and military innovation, added the statement.
On the sidelines of the Conference, talks and official meetings are scheduled between the Inspector General of the FAR and the Israeli Defense authorities, according to the statement.
The conference is expected to be attended by military delegations from 25 countries, including Italy, Poland, Finland, India, Greece, Canada, Cyprus, the United States, the Netherlands, and others.
The Jerusalem Post had quoted the Israeli military as saying that the conference will “enable the deepening of cooperation in the areas of strategy and defense, as well as for the expansion of in-depth mutual learning and international cooperation when developing and operating military capabilities.”
The IDF Spokesperson for Arab Media, Avichay Adraee, had said that the conference is “an additional milestone in strengthening the cooperation between the IDF and other countries worldwide,” and aims to boost “regional security and stability.”
Following the normalization of ties between Rabat and Tel-Aviv within the frame of the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, the two countries ramped up efforts to boost bilateral cooperation in several areas, including cybersecurity and military matters.
Last July, Israel’s army chief Aviv Kohavi paid a three-day working visit to Morocco during which he discussed with senior Moroccan defense officials military and security cooperation between the two countries.
In March, senior Israeli military officials visited the North African Kingdom and signed an accord on military cooperation as Moroccan-Israeli economic, commercial and cultural relations are gaining momentum.
Last November, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited Morocco. The visit was crowned with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for the exchange of experience & expertise, technology transfer, training and cooperation in the fields of defense industry, cyber-security and intelligence.
