Morocco turns to Turkey for weapons imports as Israel ties strain over Gaza
To:
Al-Monitor Readers
From:
Francisco Serrano
Journalist and analyst specialized in North Africa
Date:
Mar. 6, 2024
Bottom Line:
Morocco is growing increasingly reliant on Turkey for it weapons supply. In January, the kingdom’s armed forces acquired 200 Cobra 2 armored vehicles worth $136 million from Turkish weapons manufacturer Otokar. After relying almost exclusively on traditional suppliers like the United States and France for most of its arms, Morocco has in recent years diversified its military acquisitions to countries such as Turkey and Israel as it focuses on modernizing its armed forces. However, its previous plans of increasingly relying on Israel to jumpstart its industry might be jeopardized by the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the wider Middle East.