Rabat – Morocco and the Netherlands signed on May 10 in Rabat a letter of intent reflecting their shared commitment to strengthen security cooperation.
Abdellatif Hammouchi, the head of Morocco’s General Director of National Security and Territorial Surveillance (DGSN-DGST), signed the agreement with Henk van Essen, the Netherlands’ police chief.
A statement from DGSN said that the agreement stems from a common desire to boost security relations between Morocco and the Netherlands.
“It aims to value and strengthen cooperation in a way that allows ensuring a firm response” against organized crime challenges, as well as violent extremism and terror threats.
DGSN noted that the cooperation agreement also reflects the two parties’ keenness to exchange information and cooperation in the field of research and police training, as well as the sharing of security expertise.
Under the agreement, both countries are set to develop cooperation to fight against terrorism, extremism, drug and human trafficking, illegal firearms activities, as well as money laundering.
Another area mentioned in the security cooperation between the two countries is the fight against cybercrimes.
DGSN and its Dutch counterpart emphasized the importance of increasing bilateral and multilateral international cooperation in the security field, particularly amid the growth of various forms of crime such as terrorism.
Many observers have in recent months and years lauded the effectiveness of Morocco’s counter-terrorism and de-radicalization approach. The country also has a broad list of international partners with which it cooperates to fight against organized crimes and global terrorism.
Spain and Morocco signed an anti-crime agreement in April, with the two neighbors committing to strengthening their security cooperation to fight more effectively against transcontinental criminal networks, including terrorist and extremist groups.
Several reports have in the past year acknowledged the success of Morocco’s comprehensive approach to counterterrorism.
One such report is the latest Global Terrorism Index, which, citing Morocco’s active role in fighting global terrorism, put the North African kingdom among the world’s safest countries.
“Morocco’s active role in fighting terrorism suggests the country’s understanding of the threat; the interconnectedness of its counterterrorism methods,” the report said.
The US State Department’s annual reports on terrorism have also long reitrated the importance of cooperation between the US and Morocco in counterterrorism.
Over the years, successive reports from the State Department have concluded that Morocco’s “comprehensive” and “vigilant security measures” against terrorism have made it a regional bulwark in the fight against global terrorism and transcontinental criminal networks.
