U.S. Senators Meet Moroccan Defense Officials to Strengthen Bilateral Cooperation

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On Very High Royal Instructions, Abdeltif Loudyi, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government, in charge of the National Defense Administration, and Major General Mohammed Berrid, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and Commander of the Southern Zone, held talks, on Monday at the headquarters of this Administration, with a delegation of U.S. Senators, led by Jerry Moran and accompanied by Susan Collins, John Boozman, John Hoeven and John Cornyn.    During this meeting, attended by the Ambassador and other representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Rabat, discussions focused mainly on the aspects of bilateral cooperation related to security, defense and regional security, according to a press release from the National Defense Administration.    The Senators highlighted the excellence of the long-standing relations of friendship and cooperation between the United States and the Kingdom of Morocco, strengthened by the bilateral Defense Consultative Committee and the exchange of visits by senior officials of the two countries. They also praised the important role of the Kingdom, under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, to serve peace and stability in Africa, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.    Loudyi hailed the dense military cooperation and the implementation of the Roadmap for Defense Cooperation, signed in October 2020, defining the main areas of cooperation for the period 2020-2030.    Both parties also welcomed the regular holding of the “African Lion” military exercise, particularly its 20th edition which brought together more than 7,000 military personnel from African, Arab and European countries, in addition to the organizing countries, the United States of America and Morocco.    Following this meeting, the two parties welcomed the dynamism of this cooperation, while expressing the common will to explore and strengthen new opportunities for cooperation, in particular cyber defense, space and the defense industry, the press release concluded.