Morocco and France set sights on a new era of Interior Ministry cooperation

The Moroccan Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit, met with his French counterpart, Bruno Retailleau, on Monday in Rabat for a working session focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation. The two officials discussed «issues of mutual interest and prospects for deepening collaboration», in alignment with the Declaration of Enhanced Exceptional Partnership signed by the leaders of both countries in October 2024.

During his working visit to Morocco, which began on Sunday evening, Minister Retailleau was received alongside senior officials from both sides. On this occasion, the parties «welcomed the solid foundation provided by security and migration cooperation in the bilateral relationship», which is expected to be further reinforced in light of «France’s position affirming that the present and future of the Sahara fall fully within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty», according to a statement from the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior.

In this context, Laftit and Retailleau emphasized that «security and migration cooperation is part of a dynamic of excellence, rooted in mutual trust, shaped by shared challenges, a common understanding of the regional and international environment, and converging views on strategic issues».

To advance this partnership, Laftit proposed «the establishment of a new, comprehensive framework for partnership and cooperation» based on «a revision of all existing agreements» between the two ministries, in order to create «an instrument that reflects the shared ambitions» of both nations. The ministers also discussed the development of a Morocco-France roadmap for cooperation between their respective interior ministries.

On the security front, both ministers commended the operational cooperation between the two countries’ security services, which has helped contain terrorist threats and dismantle terrorist and criminal networks. Laftit also highlighted «the holistic and humanistic approach adopted by the Kingdom in migration governance», in line with royal directives.

In this regard, he underlined «the importance of the work carried out by the Morocco-France Permanent Joint Migration Group, a key mechanism for the smooth management of operational issues».

The two ministers agreed on «the need to broaden and strengthen the scope of bilateral cooperation», notably in the fields of Civil Protection and the management of major events.