A statement from the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces said that in implementation of the Very High Royal Instructions, Abdeltif Loudyi, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of the National Defense Administration, received, Tuesday at the headquarters of this Administration, the British Senior Defense Advisor to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Air Marshal Martin Elliot Sampson, on official visit to the Kingdom of Morocco.
During this meeting, which was held in the presence of the Ambassador of the United Kingdom in Rabat, the two officials expressed their satisfaction with the excellence and sustainability of the special ties that unite the two Kingdoms, and highlighted their ambition to further develop these long-standing relations, according to the same source.
The two officials also exchanged views on the regional security situation, especially in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the Sahel and stressed the need to consolidate cooperation in defense for peace and regional stability.
In this regard, while highlighting the historic role that Morocco has always played in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East and Africa thanks to the farsighted vision of His Majesty the King, may God assist Him, the two officials also reviewed the various aspects of bilateral cooperation and ways and means to further strengthen it in areas of common interest.
On the same day, and on the High Instructions of His Majesty the King, Supreme Leader and Chief of General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, the Lieutenant General, Inspector General of the FAR and Commander of the South Zone, received, at the General Staff of the FAR in Rabat, Marshal E. Sampson, the statement added.
After describing the relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Kingdom as “historic, dynamic and exceptional, based on friendship and mutual trust”, the two officials exchanged on the various areas of bilateral cooperation between the Royal Armed Forces and the British Armed Forces. This cooperation covers training, exchange of visits and experiences, and the organization of combined exercises, such as the exercise “Jbel Sahara”.
On this occasion, and in accordance with the High Directives of His Majesty the King, Supreme Leader and Chief of General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, the Lieutenant General expressed the willingness of the Royal Armed Forces to continue to work to further promote bilateral military cooperation, and also to expand it to other areas of common interest, including maritime security, Special Forces, Defense Industry and Artificial Intelligence, the statement added.
Moroccan-British military cooperation is governed by a Framework Agreement on Military and Technical Cooperation signed in 1993, as well as a Status of Forces Agreement signed in 2013. The bilateral activities to be undertaken are programmed according to a schedule established by a joint commission which is held annually and alternately in Rabat and London.
