Rabat, Paris Vow to Step up Counterterrorism Cooperation

Morocco and France renewed commitment to reinforcing their security cooperation at a context marked by the threat of foreign terrorist fighters relocating from the Middle East to Europe and North Africa.

The two countries laid emphasis on the need to beef up their bilateral counterterrorism cooperation in a joint statement issued at the end of the state visit by Prime Minister Edouard Philipe who co-chaired with Head of the Government Saad Eddine El Othmani the 13th High-level French-Moroccan Meeting in Rabat.

The two countries underscored their steadfast commitment to combating all forms of radicalism and extremism and countering amalgams.

In this respect, the joint statement praised Morocco for its leadership in training Imams and expressed France’s willingness to cooperate in this field by virtue of an agreement signed by the two countries in September 2015.

The two countries also stressed their determination to reinforce operational cooperation concerning all forms of criminality and agreed to finalize the technical arrangement on a long-term strategic program of cooperation in terms of domestic security for 2018-2020, which will also fight cybercrime.
Concerning the situation in the region, the joint statement reiterated the two countries’ positions in favor of a lasting comprehensive solution to guarantee Libya’s stability and security, on the basis of the provisions of the Skhirat Agreement, which was achieved under the umbrella of the UN.

The two countries also expressed concern over the surge of security threats in the Sahel region and reaffirmed support for the G5 Sahel Joint Force.