India and Morocco held the inaugural meeting of their Joint Defence Committee (JDC) in New Delhi on September 8, 2026, marking a fresh institutional step in bilateral defence ties as the two countries head toward the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2027.
The meeting covered a broad sweep of issues, with the two sides discussing cooperation in training and education, peacekeeping operations, joint military exercises, medical cooperation, cyber defence, and the defence industrial sector. Both countries agreed to further expand ties across these areas as the relationship builds toward its milestone anniversary next year.
The talks were co-chaired by Joint Secretary (International Cooperation) at the Ministry of Defence, Amitabh Prasad, and the Chief of the 2nd Bureau of the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces, Brigadier General Abdellah Athmani. The Indian side fielded a wide-ranging delegation drawn from the Department of Defence, the three services, Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, the Department of Defence Production, the Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Services, DRDO, and the Ministry of External Affairs.
A Multi-Day Visit
The Moroccan delegation’s visit to India runs from September 7 to 10. Brigadier General Athmani opened his trip by paying tribute at the National War Memorial in New Delhi. The delegation also visited DPSU Bhawan in the capital for a first-hand look at India’s defence manufacturing capabilities, engaging with domestic defence industry players. During these interactions, both sides agreed to explore cooperation in co-production, joint ventures, technology collaboration, and maintenance and sustainment support.
As part of the ongoing visit, the delegation is also scheduled to visit the Army Hospital (Research & Referral) to get a sense of India’s capabilities in military medicine.
Building on Last Year’s MoU
The JDC meeting stems from an MoU on defence cooperation signed between the two countries during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Morocco in September 2025 — an agreement that gave fresh momentum to the bilateral defence relationship. The Joint Defence Committee itself is part of the institutional mechanism established under that MoU, intended to provide a regular forum for the two sides to review and advance cooperation across the full range of defence-related activities.
