On royal instructions from King Mohammed VI, Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), Abdeltif Loudyi, Deputy Minister for National Defence, received French Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs, Catherine Vautrin, at his office in Rabat on Thursday.
The meeting was part of a high-level visit to Morocco by the French Prime Minister’s delegation, led by Sebastien Lecornu, which aimed to consolidate and diversify bilateral cooperation in various sectors.
During the meeting, both sides signed a technical arrangement and memorandum of understanding on bilateral defence industry cooperation, according to an administration statement.
The two officials also discussed bilateral issues and regional matters, as well as ways to strengthen and diversify Morocco-France military cooperation.
The two parties expressed their shared ambition to consolidate relations by implementing the instruments signed during the 15th High-Level Meeting.
A total of 22 Moroccan and French ministers took part in the high-level meeting, co-chaired by the Moroccan Prime Minister, Aziz Akhannouch, and his French counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu. The meeting concluded with the signing of eleven cooperation conventions covering a wide range of sectors, including the creation of a Regional Express Railway (RER) line in Rabat, as well as water resources and decentralisation.
The 15th High-Level Meeting between Morocco and France took place against the backdrop of an exceptional partnership and strengthened political ties between the two countries, following historical changes in French support for Morocco’s Sahara policy and recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over its southern provinces.