AFRICOM Commander Praises U.S.-Morocco Military & Security Partnership
General Michael Langley, U.S. AFRICOM commander, praised on Monday the strength of the U.S.-Morocco military and security partnership
during his visit to the North African Kingdom.
The four-star General met separately in Rabat with Minister in charge of the National Defense Administration Abdellatif Loudiyi and Morocco’s top General Farouk Belkhir.
“It’s clear that the U.S.-Morocco commitment to supporting regional peace and security is stronger than ever.” Said Gen. Langley after meeting with the two Moroccan officials.
“Our military partnership is built on deep, historic ties that date back to the very founding of the United States. Our discussions today focused on how we can continue to work together on a range of critical security issues and continue to ensure regional stability’’, he added.
A press release issued by the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces said Mr. Loudiyi and the U.S. General hailed the excellent bilateral cooperation ties including training, the exchange of experiences and the regular joint exercises such as “African Lion” which contributes to strengthening interoperability of the two countries’ armies.
In the talks held between the AFRICOM commander and General Farouk, the statement said the two Generals discussed cooperation between the Royal Armed Forces and AFRICOM, especially in training and exchange of experiences.
The two sides also discussed the holding in Morocco of joint operational exercises such as “African Lion”, hailing the success of previous editions and the experiences gained by the Royal Armed forces.
They stressed the assets of Morocco, both geographical and operational, in terms of planning and logistical support enabling the Kingdom to host the next editions of “African Lion”.
The two Generals highlighted the decisive role of Morocco, as a major actor of peace and stability, capable of addressing the security challenges in Africa, such as cross-border crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking and threats posed by separatism-terrorism nexus.
