Morocco, UK Strengthen Airport Security Cooperation

Rabat – Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) announced on Wednesday that executives working in airport security benefited from a training session with the UK Border Force.

The Border Force is the body responsible for border controls in the United Kingdom.

The training falls within the framework of strengthening border control cooperation between DGSN and the UK Border Force. It took place at the Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, revealed DGSN in a tweet today.

Renforcement de la coopération entre la #DGSN et UK Border Force @ukhomeoffice en matière de contrôle des frontières 🇲🇦🇬🇧 Une session de formation a été organisée à l'aéroport de Casablanca au profit des cadres de la DGSN exerçant dans le domaine de la sécurité aéroportuaire pic.twitter.com/X8bvUDzqsL
— DGSN MAROC (@DGSN_MAROC) September 16, 2020

Morocco and the UK share common visions in the field of security, which has manifested in several cooperative efforts and meetings focused on the matter.

The training follows the August 13 visit of former British Ambassador to Morocco Thomas Reilly to DGSN headquarters. The DGSN visit was the outgoing ambassador’s last in-country activity before leaving his diplomatic post in Rabat.

Reilly then highlighted the strength and further potential of security cooperation between Morocco and the UK in a tweet. He also stressed a desire for its continued advancement: “I hope [security cooperation] goes from strength to strength after my departure. Thank you for your partnership.”

During a press conference in February, the MENA Department Director at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Stephanie Al-Qaq, said that Morocco and the UK’s similar vision in the field of security is visible in a soft power approach to foreign policy.

She pointed to Morocco and the UK’s mutual support for a UN-led process to a political solution for the Libyan conflict. “Morocco is a key player in regional security,” she added.

In light of the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU), the UK and Morocco signed in October 2019 an “Association Agreement” to ensure the continuity of their relationship post-Brexit.

The UK pledged to help Morocco capitalize on its potential in several fields, including security.

Following the signing, Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita said security is one of the pressing challenges facing both nations, which is also part of their “shared visions.”