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Rabat – The US Department of State highlighted the cooperation between the US and Morocco in celebration of the 231st anniversary of the diplomatic department.
The US Department of State shared a post on Facebook to commemorate the anniversary, featuring a photo from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Morocco in December 2019. The photo shows Pompeo holding a talk with the head of Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) and General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), Abdellatif Hammouchi.
The choice of such a photo to celebrate the 231st anniversary of the US Department of State testifies to the quality of relations between Morocco and the US, notably in the fields of security and counterterrorism.
Today we mark the 231st anniversary of the Department of State, America’s first executive agency. On this day and…
Posted by U.S. Department of State on Monday, 27 July 2020
High-level visit
Pompeo, the head of US diplomacy and former head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), visited Morocco on December 5, 2019. During the visit, Pompeo met with Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita. He also held talks with Hammouchi, the head of Moroccan security services.
During the meeting, Pompeo celebrated the “excellent and long-standing” counterterrorism cooperation between the US and Morocco. He also spoke about Morocco’s “precious” support for peace, security, and development.
Following the meeting, Pompeo shared several photos with Hammouchi and expressed his “pleasure” at meeting the senior Moroccan official.
A pleasure meeting Director General Abdellatif Hammouchi today to reaffirm the importance of our counterterrorism and law enforcement cooperation. We value our partnership with #Morocco in the fight against terrorism and working together to advance peace and security. pic.twitter.com/ZDvlJ52KMc
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) December 5, 2019
“We value our partnership with Morocco in the fight against terrorism and working together to advance peace,” he wrote.
Pompeo’s statements about US-Morocco cooperation reiterate his department’s 2019 annual Country Report on Terrorism.
The report, issued on June 24, 2019, extolled Morocco’s counterterrorism strategy, qualifying it as a solid mechanism to mitigate the risk of terrorism in the region.
According to the report, Morocco doubled its number of counterterrorism arrests, compared to 2018.
The US Department of State acknowledged that Morocco continues to face “sporadic” terror threats from independent ISIS-inspired cells. However, the country’s efforts are efficient in curbing the terrorist groups, the report said.
