The French Official Gazette, in its issue on Tuesday, highlighted the importance of security coordination and cooperation between France and Morocco, as reflected in Paris awarding the Director General of Moroccan National Security, Abdellatif Hammouchi, the Medal of Honor from the French National Police.
The Gazette included the decision of the French Minister of the Interior to grant the prominent Moroccan security official, Abdellatif Hammouchi, the Gold Medal of Honor following his visit to Paris on June 26-28. The visit aimed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in combating terrorism and organized crime.
According to French media, Hammouchi's visit to France at that time was also intended to enhance levels of coordination and the exchange of intelligence and operational data on various threats posed by extremist organizations and transnational crime networks, reflecting France's desire to elevate security relations with Morocco.
In this context, security expert Ahmed Akdid stated to Assahifa that France's awarding of Abdellatif Hammouchi is another testament to the "good reputation enjoyed by the Moroccan security and intelligence apparatus on international, regional, and national levels," noting that France has come to recognize the significant capabilities of the Moroccan security apparatus in combating all forms of crime.
Akdid added that the Moroccan security institution, in both its intelligence and National Security Directorate branches, "has become a distinguished school, as evidenced by the numerous awards and honors it receives through its foremost representative, Abdellatif Hammouchi, from various countries such as France, Spain, Germany, and others."
The expert noted that Abdellatif Hammouchi is considered "a pivotal figure in the history of the Moroccan security apparatus, due to his approach of closeness and cooperation, in addition to the roles that Moroccan security agencies now play on an international level, particularly in countering terrorism in countries like France, where Morocco has supported France in many difficult situations."
International media reports indicated that Morocco was among the countries France decided to rely on for securing the recent Olympics in Paris. Moroccan security personnel contributed to ensuring the events were free from any dangers, despite numerous threats facing the Olympics.
It is worth noting that Moroccan security agencies have recently increased coordination with security agencies in countries such as Spain and France, especially as relations between Rabat and these countries are experiencing their best political periods, which positively impacts other fields, including security.