Rajnath Singh will visit Morocco from September 22, inaugurating Tata Advanced Systems’ Wheeled Armoured Platform facility. The visit will include meetings, MoU signing, and strengthening bilateral defence and industrial ties.
New Delhi: In an effort to further enhance the bilateral relations with a North African nation, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be embarking on a 2-day visit to Morocco from September 22. Invited by his Moroccan counterpart Abdeltif Loudiyi, his visit marks the first-ever visit of a defence minister to the North African nation, underscoring the growing strategic convergence between India and Morocco. During his stay in the country, Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the Tata Advanced Systems Limited Maroc’s new manufacturing facility for the Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP) 8×8 at Berrechid.
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1st-ever Indian defence manufacturing plant in Africa
“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,” a defence ministry official said. He will hold a bilateral meeting with Loudiyi and other ministers, including Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour to strengthen defence, strategic and industry cooperation.
He will also explore avenues for industrial collaboration between the two countries.
“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.
Indian Navy ships have been making regular port calls at Casablanca in recent years, and this agreement will further consolidate such ties. “Ties between India and Morocco have gained momentum since His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s meeting with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in 2015 in India.”
“The upcoming visit is expected to add fresh energy to this partnership, particularly in the defence and strategic sectors.”