The Inspector General of Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and Commander of the Southern Zone, Mohammed Berrid, met with senior military leaders from Cape Verde and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday at the 2024 Marrakech Air Show to discuss expanding military cooperation.
During a meeting with Cape Verde’s Chief of Defense, Rear Admiral Antonio Duarte Monteiro, Berrid reviewed the existing military cooperation arrangements between Morocco and Cape Verde, particularly in training programs and multinational exercises, according to a statement from the FAR General Staff.
The two leaders acknowledged that collaboration between their two countries so far has been satisfactory, and they discussed potential avenues for further strengthening it in areas of mutual interest.
At a separate meeting with Major General Issa Saif bin Ablan Al Mazrouei, Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, Berrid and the UAE general discussed the close, historical ties between Morocco and the UAE. They focused on the importance of cooperation in training, knowledge exchange, and defense industry initiatives, and reiterated their commitment to strengthening this collaboration further.
Morocco and the UAE began their military cooperation in 1980 when the countries signed their first military agreement. That was further reinforced by a framework agreement signed in May 2006.