France’s Interior Minister describes security cooperation with Morocco as excellent

French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, has commended, Monday in Rabat, the excellent security cooperation between France and Morocco.

Cooperation between France and Morocco in the field of security is excellent, with many common stakes, including the fight against drugs, terrorist networks, and crime, said Darmanin at a press briefing following talks with his Moroccan peer Abdelouafi Laftit.

“Without our Moroccan friends and the excellent Moroccan judicial police, France would be in more danger than it is,” noted the French official, pointing out that the recent arrests carried out in Morocco in response to requests issued by France demonstrate the great efficiency of the Moroccan police. “Without the Moroccan intelligence services, France would be more affected,” he insisted.

He also thanked Morocco, which will help France enormously in organizing major sporting events, notably the Olympic Games, and pointed out that the two countries have already shown their know-how at other sporting events.

“We can count on each other for reciprocal information in the major sporting events that lie ahead,” he said, citing the next African Cup of Nations football tournament, scheduled for 2025 in Morocco.

The French official also referred to the new threat related to cybersecurity and terrorism, and said that France is ready to support Morocco and its efforts to fight terrorism and deal with threats that may arise in the Sahel-Saharan strip.

The two countries share valuable intelligence in the fight against terrorism, he added, expressing his thanks “to the Moroccan services for the important work they do’ with the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) and French services.

“We share the same views on the fight against crime and terrorism”, noted Darmanin.

He also hailed the “frank dialogue between the two great friendly countries whose common goal is to preserve our democracies and our values, and to combat radicalization.”

The French Minister also said that his visit to Morocco was part of a new dynamic in bilateral relations, pointing out that the aim was to put in place an ambitious roadmap for each of the cooperation sectors, in line with the willingness of the two Heads of State to renew and modernize French-Moroccan strategic relations and friendship.

Given geographical proximity and cultural, linguistic, and human ties, the issue of mobility lies at the heart of the dialogue between the two countries, he underlined, adding that the flow of French and Moroccans continues to grow in all sectors, notably tourism, higher education, vocational training, agriculture, and cultural exchanges.

“Our societies know each other and are intertwined by family and friendly ties forged through history, as illustrated by the size of the French population of Moroccan origin,” said the French Interior Minister, recalling that Morocco has six French consulates general and France has 17 Moroccan consulates, which help to keep interactions between the two countries alive.

Morocco is a key partner in a balanced mobility management, he added.

On a regional and international scale, Morocco, under the impetus of King Mohammed VI, is playing a leading role in dealing with the migration issue, Darmanin added, explaining that on a bilateral level, cooperation has resumed energetically to counter illegal immigration and help legal migration.

“Our shared ambition is to soon be able to bring together the joint work of the two ministries’ technical departments to deal together with issues of common interest to the populations of Morocco and France,” underscored the French official.

Darmanin also discussed decentralized institutional cooperation, including the advanced regionalization desired by the King, devolution, and the training of civil servants, as well as the issue of civil protection in the face of the risks of climate change.

Referring to Islam in France, he described cooperation with Moroccan religious authorities as excellent, saying that Islam as practiced in Morocco is a model for which King Mohammed VI deserves credit.

“We are very attentive to the training of imams and how Morocco can help us in this area,” he said.