Under High Royal Instructions, the Minister Delegate to the Head of Government, in charge of the National Defense Administration, Abdeltif Loudyi, received, Sunday at the headquarters of his department, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US, Army General, Mark Milley, who is leading an important delegation on a working visit in the Kingdom with the aim of strengthening military cooperation.
According to a statement of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) this meeting was an opportunity for the two officials to express their satisfaction with the excellent and long-standing friendship and cooperation relations between Morocco and the US, which have been strengthened by a strategic military partnership governed by a significant legal arsenal, notably the 2020-2030 roadmap for defense cooperation signed on the occasion of the US Secretary of Defense’s visit to Morocco in October 2020.
After reviewing the status of bilateral cooperation in the field of defense and opportunities to further strengthen it, Loudyi and Milley welcomed the positive results of the Defense Advisory Committee and highlighted the significance of the combined annual “African Lion” exercise, which represents a major lever for the success of the interoperability of the armed forces.
Loudyi recalled the joint declaration signed between Morocco, the US and Israel in December 2020, in the presence of His Majesty King Mohammed 6th, aimed at strengthening peace and stability in North Africa and the Middle East, further commending the US’s position in support of the full sovereignty of the Kingdom over its Sahara.
On the same day, and under the High Royal Instructions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the Lieutenant General, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces and Commander of the South Zone, Belkhir El Farouk, received the American military official at the Royal Armed Forces’ (FAR) headquarters in Rabat.
The two military officials expressed their satisfaction with the successful outcomes of the Defense Advisory Committee during their meeting, which was attended by the Chiefs of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), senior US military officials, and the American ambassador to Morocco, Puneet Talwar.
El Farouk and Milley also expressed their desire to further strengthen military cooperation and strategic partnership between the Moroccan and American armies, stressing, again, the importance of the annual “African Lion” exercise.
Given that this was Milley’s first trip to Africa as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, he used the occasion to highlight the crucial role that the Kingdom of Morocco, under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, plays as a promoter of stability and peace in Africa and the Middle East.
At the end of their discussions, the two military officials reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the illustrious and historic relationship between Morocco and the US.
