By: Napoleon Ato Kittoe
At the official invitation of the officials of the French security services, the Director-General of National Security (DGSN) and Territorial Surveillance (DGST) of Morocco, Mr. Abdellatif Hammouchi, paid a working visit to France, during which he held talks with his counterparts in the National Police, Internal Security and External Security in France.
During the talks, they discussed mechanisms to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various security fields of mutual interest, said the DGSN-DGST Cluster in a statement.
As part of this visit (June 26-28), the Director-General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance held a series of meetings and talks, respectively, with Céline BERTHON, Director-General of Internal Security, and Nicolas LERNER, Director-General of External Security of France.
The talks explored means and ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fight against terrorism and organized crime, and to promote coordination and exchange of intelligence and operational data on various threats posed by extremist organizations and transnational crime networks.
During these talks, the Director-General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance was accompanied by an important security delegation representing the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance.
The Director-General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance also met with Fréderic VEAUX, Director General of the French National Police, with whom he held intensive discussions.
The meeting, which was attended by an important delegation from the General Directorate of National Security, examined mechanisms for advanced cooperation and coordination between the two sides in various security fields, particularly with regard to the development of proactive mechanisms for risk assessment and data exchange on the sidelines of joint action in securing the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, the statement noted.
In tribute to the exemplary Morocco-France cooperation in various security areas, the Director-General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance was awarded the Gold Medal of Honor by the French National Police, in recognition of his efforts to consolidate and develop joint security cooperation.
The visit provided an opportunity for the French and Moroccan sides to discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in a range of areas to combat transnational crime, especially smuggling of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, illegal migration networks and human trafficking, along with practical mechanisms for cooperation in implementing joint security measures and operations.
The visit attests to the importance of boosting bilateral security cooperation between Morocco and France, which share many bilateral action and coordination programs and face common security challenges, the same source added.
It is also part of the engagement of General Directorate of National Security and the General Directorate of National Territorial Surveillance in international security cooperation to ensure effective contribution to combating terrorist and criminal threats at the regional and international levels.
