Head of Morocco’s DGSN & DGST Abdellatif Hammouchi held Thursday and Friday in Rabat talks with General Director of French Internal Security (DGSI) Nicolas Lerner, who was on a working visit to Morocco.
According to a statement released by the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), the two officials had the opportunity to evaluate security cooperation and intelligence matters between Morocco and France. They also reviewed operational cooperation mechanisms in security matters of common interest.
Both officials emphasized the importance of advancing this cooperation and expanding the scope of technical assistance to ensure the exchange of experiences and expertise to strengthen common security and address challenges and threats facing both countries.
The statement specified that this meeting is part of Morocco’s commitment to strengthening international cooperation in the fields of security and intelligence, with Morocco 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 a few days after that of Frédéric Veaux, head of the French national police, on December 12.
Frédéric Veaux held 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.