France-Morocco military chiefs meet, amid growing ties
Following a recent thawing of frosty relations between France and Morocco, both these countries now are looking at integrating their militaries.
Chief of staff of the French Armed Forces met with a senior Moroccan general on December 2nd, symbolising the growing momentum in France-Morocco relations, according to TheArabWeekly.
French General Thierry Burkhard met with Inspector General of Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces Mohammed Berrid in Rabat where they held discussions on advancing military cooperation and current security issues.
The Moroccan army said the visit was a “testament to the strong and evolving ties between Morocco and France,” enabled by the strengthened cooperation framework established by King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron.
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While Macron’s recent state visit was a landmark in France-Morocco relations, the real glue is France’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, much to the dismay of Algeria, who also have a dog in the fight.
The area has been contested since 1975 when the Spanish left, leaving Morocco and the Sahrawi resistance group, The Polisario Front, to clash in the vacuum, with Morocco looking to integrate the area and the Polisario Front attempting to establish their own state.
General Burkhard also attended a second meeting with the Minister Delegate in charge of National Defence Administration, Abdeltif Loudyi, where discussions focused more on future issues, including space exploration, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
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Hichem Moatadhed, an academic and researcher in strategic affairs said these meetings were of the upmost importance for Morocco, as they are a bastion of stability in an increasingly turbulent region of the world.
Morocco seeks to modernise its defence technologies and deploy greater expertise and resources in security endeavours, such as counter-terrorism, intelligence and peacekeeping.
Moatadhed said: ““There are profound transformations in the traditional concept of security and military cooperation,” noting “there is transition from a mere circumstantial response to building a comprehensive security system.”
“Morocco seeks to position itself as a regional power capable of creating a strategic balance between the north and south of the Mediterranean.”
TheArabWeekly
