At the official invitation of French security services, Abdellatif Hammouchi, Director-General of National Security (DGSN) and Territorial Surveillance (DGST) of Morocco, paid a working visit to France.

During his visit, he held talks with counterparts in the National Police, Internal Security, and External Security in France.

The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in various security fields of mutual interest, according to a statement from the DGSN-DGST Cluster.

From June 26-28, Hammouchi held a series of meetings with Céline Berthon, Director-General of Internal Security, and Nicolas Lerner, Director-General of External Security of France.

They explored ways to enhance cooperation in combating terrorism and organised crime and discussed promoting coordination and exchange of intelligence and operational data on threats posed by extremist organizations and transnational crime networks.

Hammouchi was accompanied by a significant security delegation from the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance.

He also met with Fréderic Veaux, Director-General of the French National Police, for intensive discussions on advanced cooperation and coordination, especially in developing proactive risk assessment mechanisms and data exchange for securing the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

In recognition of the exemplary Morocco-France cooperation in various security areas, Hammouchi was awarded the Gold Medal of Honour by the French National Police for his efforts to consolidate and develop joint security cooperation.

The visit provided an opportunity for both sides to discuss further strengthening bilateral cooperation to combat transnational crime, including drug smuggling, illegal migration networks, and human trafficking.

Practical mechanisms for cooperation in joint security measures and operations were also discussed.

This visit underscores the importance of boosting bilateral security cooperation between Morocco and France, which share numerous action and coordination programs and face common security challenges.

It reflects the commitment of the General Directorate of National Security and the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance to international security cooperation in combating terrorist and criminal threats at regional and international levels.