This meeting was an opportunity for the two officials to highlight the multifaceted relations of friendship and cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and to express, also, their willingness to further consolidate these relations in the same spirit of friendship, mutual understanding and shared confidence, according to a statement by the General Staff of FAR.

The two officials also exchanged views on the security challenges facing the region and highlighted the important role played by the two countries in promoting stability and security, according to the same source.

In this regard, they commended the convergence of views between the two countries, particularly at meetings of the "5+5 Defence" Initiative.

In the same day, and on High Instructions of HM the King, Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, Lieutenant General, Inspector General of FAR, received in Rabat, the Mauritanian host.

Upon his arrival at the General Staff of FAR, Major General Mohamed Sheikh Mohamed Lamine Elemine, Chief of General Staff of the Mauritanian Armed Forces was greeted by Lieutenant General, Inspector General of FAR, and then reviewed a detachment of the Battalion of FAR Headquarters which made the honors, the statement noted.

The talks, which took place in the presence of the Heads of Offices of the General Staff of FAR and the Inspectors of the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, as well as the Military, Naval and Air Attaché at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in Rabat, focused on the consolidation and strengthening of military cooperation between the Armed Forces of the two countries.

Subsequently, the two officials chaired the first meeting of the Moroccan-Mauritanian Joint Military Commission, whose proceedings focused on the assessment of bilateral cooperation activities for the year 2019 and the activities scheduled for 2020.

They also discussed ways and means to improve several areas of interest to both parties, in the context of strengthening the exemplary relations, in terms of military cooperation, between the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and the Mauritanian Armed Forces, based on the deep and long-standing ties between the two brotherly countries.

The participants in this first meeting of the Moroccan-Mauritanian Joint Military Commission, who considered the various aspects of military cooperation, expressed their willingness to promote interoperability and consolidate relations between the two armies through the sharing of experience and expertise.

Military cooperation between the Armed Forces of both countries includes the exchange of information visits, participation in various training courses, technical support and training courses. Mauritanian interns have been trained at FAR training centers since 1970.

Moroccan-Mauritanian military cooperation was strengthened by a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Rabat in 2006.

Major General Mohamed Sheikh Mohamed Lamine Elemine, Chief of General Staff of the Mauritanian Armed Forces, paid a working visit to the Kingdom on January 29-30, 2020, leading an important delegation.