New Delhi: India and Morocco held the inaugural meeting of the Joint Defence Committee (JDC) in New Delhi, with the two sides discussing ways to expand bilateral defence cooperation across several key areas.
The discussions covered training and education, peacekeeping operations, military exercises, medical cooperation, cyber defence and defence industries. Both sides agreed to further strengthen defence ties as India and Morocco approach the 70th anniversary of their bilateral relations in 2027.
The meeting was co-chaired by Amitabh Prasad, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation) in the Ministry of Defence, and Brigadier General Abdellah Athmani, Chief of the 2nd Bureau of the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces.
The Indian delegation included officials from the Department of Defence, the three Services, Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, Department of Defence Production, Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Services, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Ministry of External Affairs.
At the India–Morocco Joint Defence Committee meeting in New Delhi, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation across training, expert exchanges, joint exercises, maritime cooperation, military medicine, cyber security and… pic.twitter.com/G6L2ePppbi
— Ministry of Defence, Government of India (@SpokespersonMoD) September 8, 2026
The Moroccan delegation is visiting India from September 7 to 10. As part of the visit, Brigadier General Athmani paid tribute to fallen Indian soldiers at the National War Memorial in New Delhi.
The delegation also visited DPSU Bhawan, where it interacted with Indian defence industries and gained an overview of the country’s expanding defence manufacturing capabilities.
India and Morocco agreed to explore further cooperation in co-production, joint ventures, technology collaboration, maintenance and sustainment.
The Moroccan delegation is also scheduled to visit Army Hospital (Research & Referral) to gain an overview of India’s military medical capabilities.
The JDC meeting follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Morocco in September 2025.
The agreement provided fresh momentum to bilateral defence relations and established the institutional framework under which the JDC was convened.
