Rabat – Abdellatif Hammouchi, the General Director of Morocco’s Security and Territorial Surveillance (DGSN-DGST), is on a working visit to the UAE to discuss and strengthen security ties with the Gulf country.
Hammouchi and a high-level security delegation began the working visit on Tuesday, a statement from the DGST said today, emphasizing that the visit was marked by a meeting between Hammouchi and the UAE’s Director of Security Talal Rachid Al Zaabi.
Talks between the two officials focused on challenges and threats linked to international and regional crises, including terrorism and extremism in conflict zones like Africa’s Sahel region.
“The meeting provided an opportunity to examine and discuss ways to strengthen operational cooperation between the two countries in countering threats related to terrorism and transnational organized crime,” the statement said.
The two officials are determined to activate and boost channels that seek to carry out joint security operations and diversify the forms of bilateral cooperation, such as the exchange of expertise and information sharing.
UAE and Morocco share good bilateral ties marked by frequent exchanges of visits between Moroccan and Emirati officials.
This includes the visit of the head of the UAE’s National Intelligence Service, Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri, who visited Morocco in July.
During his visit, Hammouchi received Al Dhaheri to discuss security cooperation.
In September last year, Hammouchi also visited the UAE, where he also met with high-level officials and visited security institutions of the Gulf country.
During the visit, he reviewed the special patrols security division and visited the Criminal Security Sector of Abu Dhabi Police.
The visit served as a means to promote joint investments in police training and boost operational cooperation.
Beyond security, Morocco and the UAE share strong trade and bilateral relations.
The volume of trade exchange between the two countries increased from $1 billion in 2022 to $1.30 billion in 2023. The number reflects an increase of about 30%.
According to the UAE Foreign Affairs Ministry, Morocco is an “important economic partner for the UAE, stressing that economic ties between the two countries have witnessed significant development in recent years. The UAE ranks first in terms of Arab investments in Morocco, and third in terms of total foreign investments, the ministry said. It cited the large influx of UAE investments in both government and private sectors.
