General Berrid Honors UAE Military Chief During Official Visit
On Tuesday, October 6, General Mohammed Berrid, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and Commander of the Southern Zone, welcomed General Issa Saif bin Ablan al-Mazrouei, Chief of Staff of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, at the General Staff headquarters in Rabat. General al-Mazrouei was on an official visit to Morocco leading a significant delegation. During the meeting, General Berrid presented him with the Military Merit Award, Grand Cordon grade, bestowed by the sovereign as a recognition of his efforts to strengthen military cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and the UAE.
Following this presentation, the two military leaders jointly presided over the closing session of the third Morocco-UAE Joint Military Commission meeting. According to a statement from the General Staff of the FAR, the meeting concluded with a "very positive assessment, showcasing a wide range of activities across several strategic areas." In their discussions, General Berrid and his Emirati counterpart commended the advanced level of military cooperation between their nations, particularly in enhancing capabilities, defense industry collaboration, training, and the exchange of experiences and expertise. They reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen and expand this vital partnership.
UAE: A Strategic Partner at the Marrakech Air Show
The third session of the Joint Military Commission, which commenced on Monday, October 5, prompted General al-Mazrouei's visit to Morocco. He is also scheduled to attend the Marrakech International Aerospace and Space Show (Marrakech Air Show), taking place from Wednesday, October 7, to Saturday, October 10, at the Royal Air Forces base. The UAE is the strategic partner for this eighth edition of the show, where organizers anticipate nearly 200 exhibitors from 27 countries.
The Emirati national pavilion will feature the Ministry of Defense, the Tawazun Council for Defense Enablement, which oversees the country’s arms industry, the public defense group EDGE, the aerospace industrial company Generation 5 Holding, Resource Industries specializing in electronic warfare, anti-drone systems, radars and optronics, and Multi Level Group (MLG), focusing on autonomous systems. The Emirati defense trade shows (IDEX), unmanned systems and simulation (UMEX-Simtex), and internal security (ISNR) will also be represented, alongside military publications such as Al Jundi and Nation Shield, as announced by the Moroccan Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
EDGE, which will showcase its intelligent weapons and autonomous systems in Marrakech starting in 2024, formed a strategic partnership with French manufacturer Safran in June, an agreement announced at Eurosatory in Paris. This partnership includes the development of a next-generation long-range guided weapon derived from the Hammer family through two joint ventures—one in the UAE and the other in France. Furthermore, Generation 5 Holding established an exclusive strategic partnership with Brazilian manufacturer Embraer in May in Abu Dhabi regarding the C-390 Millennium program, coinciding with the UAE’s order for ten firm units of this military transport aircraft, marking the first acquisition of this aircraft in the Middle East.
The cooperation between the FAR and the Emirati armed forces dates back to 1980, with the signing of an initial military agreement between the two nations. This collaboration has expanded significantly following the establishment of a framework agreement in May 2006, which serves as the foundation of a relationship that the General Staff of the FAR attributes to a shared vision between the two states.
As reported by barlamane.com.
