Rabat – Abdellatif Hammouchi, Head of Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN), met American Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines in Rabat on Monday.
A communique from the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST) said the pair discussed regional security issues, including emerging threats from terrorist organizations and organized crime organizations.
Cybersecurity was also discussed as an important issue, with cybercrime being one of the forms that can transcend borders. Moroccan authorities have also been recently paying increased attention to cybercrime, with the General Directorate of Information Systems Security (DGSSI) having neutralized over 500 threats in 2021.
Hammouchi and Haines also discussed cooperation between the two countries in the security field, and how to improve it to “the level of the current strategic cooperation between the two countries,” the communique added.
It added that the two countries will work further to “bring stability and security on a regional and international level,” before adding that meetings will continue to be held regularly between the two countries to discuss areas of common interest.
Earlier this year, Hammouchi went on a two-day working visit to the US to boost cooperation between the two countries in the field.
During that visit, he met Haines, as well as CIA Director William Burns, and FBI Director Chrisopher Wray, discussing emerging security threats, particularly in the Middle East, Europe, and the Sahel.
In addition to its work within Moroccan borders, the DGSN has been increasing international ties and cooperation in an effort to intercept regional security threats.
