By HornCurrent News Desk | June 18, 2025
Rabat, Morocco – Ethiopia and Morocco have reached a new milestone in their growing defense partnership with the signing of a comprehensive bilateral defense cooperation agreement on June 17, signaling a deepening of strategic ties between the two nations.
The agreement was signed in Rabat by Ethiopia’s Minister of Defense Aysha Mohammed and Morocco’s Minister Delegate for National Defense Administration, Abdeltif Loudyi. It focuses on joint military training, scientific research, military health collaboration, and combined exercises between the two defense forces.
A key component of the agreement is the establishment of a Joint Military Commission that will oversee and facilitate implementation, monitor progress, and identify future areas for cooperation.
The signing ceremony builds on a series of high-level exchanges in recent months. In April 2025, General Berrid led a Moroccan military delegation to Ethiopia for a four-day official visit, where he held talks with Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, Chief of the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), and toured key military installations. Those discussions expanded the defense agenda to include cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and defense industry development.
This growing relationship stems from Field Marshal Birhanu Jula’s August 2024 visit to Morocco, which laid the foundation for a deeper strategic alignment between the two countries.
Morocco’s Defense Administration described the latest agreement as part of King Mohammed VI’s broader South-South cooperation strategy, aimed at regional integration and continental peace and stability.
The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) has welcomed the partnership as a model for African-led defense cooperation grounded in mutual respect, technological exchange, and regional security goals.
Source: Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF)
