France and Morocco Conduct Joint Naval Exercises in Mediterranean

From February 1 to 3, the Moroccan frigate carried out joint maneuvers with other units of this multinational maritime air force, the objective of which is to strengthen cooperation between France and Morocco and increase interoperability between NATO partners and historical partners of the Mediterranean basin, indicates a press release from the French embassy in Morocco.

The frigate Sultan Moulay Ismail and its crew notably participated in air defense exercises and firing exercises. It also carried out a refueling presentation with the French ship, specifies the same source, recalling that the frigate Allal Ben Abdellah had also been integrated into the GAN at the beginning of the Clemenceau 21 mission in the spring of 2021.

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"France and Morocco [...] regularly carry out joint operational activities within the framework of their cooperation agreements. Naval activities constitute a pillar of this Franco-Moroccan bilateral defense cooperation, and the integration of the frigate Sultan Moulay Ismail into the aircraft carrier group contributes directly to it," the press release explained.

And to conclude: "Through these regular bilateral interactions, France is supporting the upgrading of the Moroccan navy, a partner of the Atlantic Alliance within the framework of the Mediterranean Dialogue since 1994."