Lieutenant General Falah Al-Kinani, Assistant Minister of the Interior of Iraq, said that “there is high-level security cooperation between Rabat and Baghdad that includes all areas of a security nature; His Excellency the Minister of the Interior has previously visited Morocco, and a memorandum of understanding was also reached that includes cooperation in combating organized crime and drugs, training and exchange of experiences, in addition to other topics of common interest between the two countries.”
The same Iraqi official added, in an interview with the Hespress electronic newspaper on the sidelines of the 93rd session of the General Assembly of the International Criminal Police Organization in Marrakech, that “there are also a number of common issues between the two countries that will be coordinated within the framework of activating this memorandum,” noting that “security cooperation with the sisterly Kingdom of Morocco has made great strides, and there is continuous coordination and cooperation between the security services in both countries.”
Lieutenant General Falah Al-Kinani stated that “the Arab region faces significant security challenges and threats today, and in light of this, developing coordination and strengthening cooperation between Arab countries is of great importance. Iraq, for example, has suffered greatly from terrorism, as has Morocco. Therefore, strengthening security relations and partnerships at this level, along with issues related to border security and other security matters, strengthens mutual trust and contributes to enhancing Arab and global stability and security.”
The same Iraqi official praised the Moroccan experience in combating terrorism, stressing that “a number of countries have adopted effective strategies in combating extremism and terrorist movements, including Morocco, which has made great strides in this regard. Iraq has tried to draw inspiration from this experience to strengthen the capabilities of security agencies and protect regional stability from the threats of terrorism, and we hope that cooperation between us will rise to higher levels.”
The two countries had agreed, on the sidelines of a meeting between Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari and his Moroccan counterpart Abdelouafi Laftit, to sign a memorandum of understanding and security cooperation that includes cooperation in the areas of combating organized crime, combating drugs, training and exchange of experiences.
Earlier, Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji, during a meeting with Justice Minister Abdel Latif Wahbi, affirmed that his country’s government is pursuing a policy of openness to countries and developing relations in all fields. The Moroccan official emphasized during this meeting that “Morocco, both the King and the government, aspires to continue and increase cooperation with Iraq in all fields, especially security cooperation and the exchange of information,” according to what the Iraqi News Agency reported at the time.
In this regard, the two countries signed an agreement last August on cooperation in the transfer of prisoners serving custodial sentences, and another on cooperation in alternative sanctions. Khaled Shawani, the Iraqi Minister of Justice, who attended the signing of the agreements, praised"the leading role played by the Kingdom of Morocco in the Arab region in maintaining peace and security."
