Rabat, Madrid Hail Exemplary Security Cooperation

The Moroccan and Spanish Interior Ministers have hailed the “exemplary cooperation” set between their departments, particularly in the fight against terrorism and organized crime.
Mohamed Hassad and his Spanish peer Juan Ignacio Zoido expressed their satisfaction at a meeting held Wednesday in Rabat, in the presence of Cherki Drais, Minister Delegate to the Interior, Abdellatif Hammouchi, Head of Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security (DGST) & Chief of domestic intelligence agency (DGST), Ricardo Diez Hochleitner, Spanish Ambassador in Rabat, and Lopez Iglesias, Director General of the Spanish Police.
The meeting, first of its kind for Mr Zoido as minister of the interior, shows the sound security cooperation ties existing between the two countries in all levels.
Regarding the fight against terrorism, the two parties praised, in a joint statement, the coordination between the security services of the two countries, a cooperation based on continuous exchange of information and the organization of joint operations.
These operations helped to dismantle many terrorist cells, including those linked to the recruitment and transfer of terrorist fighters to conflict zones and hotbeds of tension.
The two ministers reiterated in this regard the need to further consolidate cooperation and to continue to pool efforts at the regional and international level in order to counter terror threats.
Regarding the fight against drug trafficking, the two ministers voiced satisfaction over cooperation between the security services of the two countries, saying this cooperation helped to cut substantially drug trafficking, particularly those using small planes through Gibraltar Strait.
The two ministers who also discussed the issue of migration welcomed “the excellent and unique” partnership and cooperation in this field which yielded, they noted, positive results mainly in the fight against migrants smuggling and human trafficking.
Juan Ignacio Zoido’s visit to Morocco is his first overseas trip since the formation of the new Spanish government.