India and Morocco sign defence MoU to boost strategic alliance

23 SEPTEMBER 2025

India and Morocco signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation in Rabat, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also announcing the opening of a new Defence Wing at the Embassy of India in the Moroccan capital.
The MoU establishes a robust institutional framework for expanding ties, paving the way for collaboration in defence industry, joint exercises, military training, and capacity building.
The two leaders also stressed the importance of enhanced armed forces exchanges, specialised training programmes, and opportunities for co-development and co-production.
The meeting marks a significant milestone in the growing strategic convergence between India and Morocco, reinforcing their long-standing friendship and shared commitment to peace and stability.
Western Sahara, claimed by Morocco, is a disputed territory in Northwestern Africa that is the last colony in Africa still pending full decolonization.
It is claimed by Morocco and the Polisario Front independence movement for the Sahrawi people.
It was formerly a Spanish colony, Spanish Sahara.
A long-running territorial dispute led to a UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991, which promised a referendum on independence that has not yet taken place.