Indian company will establish a military vehicle factory in Morocco
The Indian company Tata Advanced Systems has already completed the necessary administrative procedures to establish a factory dedicated to the production of military vehicles in Morocco, as reported by Rue20.
Morocco signed an agreement with Indian companies more than a year ago for the construction of military vehicles to be supplied to the Moroccan army. According to Mohcine Jazouli, the minister delegate in charge of investment, this collaboration includes joint production in Morocco to meet local demand, as well as expansion into African and European markets, the Moroccan newspaper reports.
To achieve these goals, a new entity has been created, a joint venture called Tata Advanced Systems Maroc Construction, which will focus on the construction, development, production and integration of military vehicles in Morocco.
The company was registered last April at the commercial court in Casablanca, according to local media reports.
India, through Tata, is positioning itself as a leader in Morocco's nascent military industry, overtaking other foreign competitors as, according to Rue20, Israeli investments have yet to make significant inroads.
For the time being, Tata Advanced Systems has already delivered 90 6×6 vehicles to the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) for transporting equipment, ammunition and troops.
This new development marks a significant step in Morocco's plans to become a regional hub for the production of military vehicles, as well as the growing strategic partnership between Morocco and India in the defence sector.
With these projects, Morocco will further increase its ties with India, advancing the plan undertaken by King Mohammed VI during his historic visit to the Asian power in October 2015.
Since then, Rabat and New Delhi have intensified their bilateral relations in different areas such as economics, politics, culture and diplomacy.
This rapport is reflected in bilateral trade. The annualised rate of Indian exports to Morocco has increased by 13.1% over the last 26 years. For its part, Morocco exported 2.1 billion dollars worth of goods to India, including products such as phosphoric acid, mineral fertilisers or mixed chemicals and calcium phosphates.
The two countries agreed to boost this partnership following a telephone conversation in October between Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Indian counterpart, Subramaniam Jaishankar. Both stressed the common will to cooperate in other areas such as trade, investment, science and technology in order to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes for both nations.
Last year, Morocco and India also conducted joint naval exercises to strengthen the bilateral partnership in the maritime sector. To this end, the Moroccan naval vessel LC Arrahmani (501) and the Indian naval vessel Sumedha conducted various types of activities, including communication drills, tactical exercises and air operations.
According to a joint communiqué, these exercises represent the "commitment of both nations to strengthen maritime security and foster friendship".
Morocco and India have also joined forces to boost growth in Africa through South-South cooperation. During a visit to India earlier this year, Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour highlighted the potential of a strategic partnership between the two countries and stressed the opportunity to develop joint initiatives involving the entire African continent.
