Casablanca – Frontex’s Executive Director Aija Kalnaja and Director of Migration and Border Surveillance at Morocco’s Ministry of Interior Khalid Zerouali held a meeting on October 27, in Warsaw, Poland to discuss ways to cooperate on border management.
During their meeting, which was part of the series of annual discussions under the joint Frontex-Morocco committee, Kalnaja applauded Morocco’s role as a partner which is “reliable and credible to meet common challenges,” notably in migration.
“Frontex recognizes the tremendous efforts made by the Moroccan authorities to address the challenges of migrant smuggling, human trafficking, and other types of cross-border crime,” Frontex’s Executive Director noted.
The official also expressed Frontex’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with Morocco in order to address these challenges together.
The European official highlighted Morocco’s role as a “gateway” to the African continent, underlining the North African country’s close collaboration with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency in the face of frequent challenges.
“We are working closely with Morocco to overcome these difficulties and better prepare for the future,” she continued, adding that she is “very grateful for the presence of such a rich and quality delegation.”
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In addition, Morocco and Frontex have agreed to collaborate on the implementation of a joint roadmap, which will cover topics such as coast guard cooperation, risk analysis, and anti-trafficking.
The meeting between the officials was held on the sidelines of the International Border Police Conference, which took place from October 26 to 28 in Poland’s capital.
The International Border Police Conference brings together law enforcement officials to discuss border security.
Some of the topics on the agenda of this international meeting are effective crisis responses, cross-border health threats, and ensuring the protection of migrants and refugees.
