Morocco, France hold new rounds of talks on security cooperation

Head of Morocco’s National Security and Territorial Surveillance Abdellatif Hammouchi held two working sessions in Rabat with France’s Director-General of Internal Security, Nicolas Lerner, who was on a working visit to the Kingdom.

During these meetings, which took place on Thursday and Friday, the two parties evaluated cooperation in the fields of intelligence and security between Morocco and France. They also examined operational coordination mechanisms related to security issues of common interest, a statement by the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) said.

Hammouchi and Lerner agreed on the importance of promoting security and intelligence cooperation, expanding the scope of technical assistance and operational cooperation between the two parties to ensure the exchange of expertise and experiences. This aims to strengthen common security and address threats and risks facing both countries, the statement said.

The meetings are part of Morocco’s commitment to strengthen international cooperation in various security and intelligence domains, the Kingdom being a serious and reliable partner in preserving peace and stability at regional and international levels.

It is worth noting that Nicolas Lerner’s visit to Morocco comes just two days after that of head of the French national police, Frédéric Veaux.

During this visit, Frédéric Veaux held on Dec.12 a working session with Abdellatif Hammouchi on several subjects of common interest at the heart of bilateral security cooperation, and discussed ways to strengthen mechanisms of cooperation in different areas, including combating drug trafficking, illegal immigration, terrorist threats, cybercrime, and other forms of transborder crime.

The DGSN had then said in a press release that the two parties explored avenues to bolster security cooperation mechanisms, and discussed strategies for executing joint operations under this cooperation, notably in ensuring security for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to prepare for a visit of Abdellatif Hammouchi to Paris soon, the objective being to reinforce security cooperation, broaden the spectrum of this collaboration, and diversify its modalities, aligning with the interests of both nations.

These initiatives are founded on mutual trust and shared interests, the press release pointed out.

The meeting with the Director General of the French National Police is part of a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings led by the Director General Morocco’s National Security and Territorial Surveillance. The goal is to fortify security collaboration and coordination with various regional and international partners and organizations involved in law enforcement, said the press release.