Morocco-Spain: Security, intelligence cooperation discussed in Madrid

Security and intelligence cooperation between Morocco and Spain were discussed during the working visit the Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, Abdellatif Hammouchi, paid to Madrid June 16 and 17.

Hammouchi, who was leading a delegation made up of directors and executives of the central services of the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), held working sessions and talks with his counterparts from the Spanish security and intelligence services, said a press release issued by the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) and the DGST.

The two sides discussed security issues of mutual interest and agreed on the importance of coordinating joint efforts, developing the various support mechanisms and strengthening cooperation between the two countries, in order to ensure a resolute response to the various security risks and threats, the press release added.

Hammouchi’s visit to Spain came just after a trip to Washington, where he conferred with the heads of the FBI and the CIA on various security threats and new dangers looming at the regional and international levels, as well as on the mechanisms and means to face these risks according to a common and collective vision capable of ensuring international security and peace.

Moroccan-US talks also covered the various security challenges and threats posed by terrorist groups and organized crime networks in several parts of the world, including the Sahel region, the Sahara, the Middle East and Europe.

Hammouchi’s visit to Spain also came after the visit Moroccan Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit, paid to Madrid for talks with his Spanish counterpart, Fernando Grande-Marlaska. During these talks, the two sides emphasized the exemplary Moroccan-Spanish cooperation in the fields of migration and security, in particular the fight against terrorism and transnational crime.