Morocco Halts Naval Vessel Deal with Spain Amid Diplomatic Tensions

On January 8, Finance Minister María Jesús Montero, visiting the San Fernando shipyard to observe the progress of the construction work by Navantia of five corvettes for the Saudi navy, had announced the signing of a contract with Morocco for the construction of a military patrol vessel for the royal navy. At the time, relations between Morocco and Spain were good and the kingdom did not find any objection to this agreement, according to La Vox de Cadiz.

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But after the Ghali affair in April and the migration crisis in May, Morocco suspended this agreement with Navantia for the construction of the patrol vessel, pending the resumption of diplomatic relations with Spain. On the other hand, the kingdom has strengthened its military cooperation with other countries. On November 24, it signed a military cooperation agreement with Israel. It continues to maintain good relations with its privileged partner, the United States, which it is trying to convince to sell it F-35 fighter jets. It recently also received a donation of several Mirage 2000-9 combat aircraft from the United Arab Emirates.

Over the next five years, Morocco plans to acquire helicopters, fighter jets and tanks for an amount of $20 billion. It could also acquire drones and Patriot air defense systems.