Darmanin welcomes the excellence of security cooperation between France and Morocco
Hibapress
The French Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories, Gérald Darmanin, welcomed, Monday in Rabat, the excellence of security cooperation between France and Morocco.
Cooperation between the French Republic and the Kingdom of Morocco in terms of security is excellent with many common issues, including the fight against drugs and terrorist networks and crime, indicated Mr. Darmanin during a press briefing. , following his talks with the Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit.
“Without our Moroccan friends and the excellence of the Moroccan judicial police, France would be more in danger than it is,” noted the French minister, stressing that the recent arrests that Morocco has experienced in the name of requests made by France show the great efficiency of the Moroccan police. “Without the Moroccan intelligence services, France would be more affected,” he insisted.
He also wanted to thank Morocco which will be able to help France very strongly in the organization of major sporting events, notably the Olympic Games, recalling that the two countries have already demonstrated their know-how during other sporting events.
We can count on each other in the major sporting events that are coming in terms of mutual information, he said, citing in this sense the next African Football Cup of Nations, scheduled in 2025 in Morocco.
After discussing the new threat that cybersecurity represents for the two countries, the French minister affirmed that in terms of the fight against terrorism, France is prepared to provide its support to Morocco and the Kingdom’s efforts to deal with threats. which can be born in the Sahelo-Saharan strip.
The two countries share valuable information in the fight against terrorism, he continued, expressing his thanks “to the Moroccan services for the important work they carry out with the DGSI and the French services”.
He also welcomed “a frank dialogue between two great friendly countries whose common objective is to preserve our democracies, our values and fight against radicalization”.
“We have a perfect identity of views in terms of the fight against crime and terrorism,” noted Mr. Darmanin.
The French minister also indicated that his trip to Morocco is part of the new dynamic of bilateral relations, specifying that the objective is to put in place an ambitious road map for each of the sectors, in phase with the desire of the two Heads of State to renew and modernize Franco-Moroccan strategic relations and friendship.
Given the geographical proximity and cultural, linguistic and human links, the question of mobility is at the heart of the dialogue between the two countries, he observed, stressing that the flows of French and Moroccans continue to grow in all sectors, notably tourism, higher education, professional training, agriculture and cultural exchanges.
“Our societies know each other and intertwine through family and friendly ties established by history as illustrated by the importance of the French population of Moroccan origin,” noted the French minister, recalling that Morocco has six French consulates general and France has 17 Moroccan consulates which contribute to maintaining interactions between the two countries.
Morocco is an essential partner in balanced mobility management, he rejoiced.
At the regional and international level, Morocco plays, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, a leading role in dealing with the migration issue, said Mr. Darmanin, explaining that on the bilateral level , cooperation has resumed energetically to combat illegal immigration and help legal migration.
“Our shared ambition is to soon be able to bring together the joint work of the technical services of the two ministries to jointly address subjects of common interest for the populations of Morocco and France,” continued the French minister.
Mr. Darmanin also addressed decentralized institutional cooperation, including advanced regionalization desired by His Majesty the King, deconcentration and training of civil servants, as well as the question of civil protection with the risks of climate change.
Referring to the Islam of France, he described the cooperation with the Moroccan religious authorities as excellent, affirming that Islam as it is practiced in Morocco is a model whose merit goes to King Mohammed VI.
“We are very attentive to the training of imams and how Morocco can help us in this area,” he concluded.
