French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said Monday that judicial and legal cooperation between Morocco and France has long been the backbone of their bilateral relations.
The French justice system has been involved in addressing common issues with Morocco, I’m thinking of the fight against terrorism or against drug trafficking,” Darmanin said in an interview with the 2M television channel, broadcast on its Sunday evening news program.
Darmanin thanked the Moroccan security services for “all the work they do for the security of France and the French people.”
With regard to the fight against terrorism, the French official described bilateral cooperation in this field as “excellent,” and welcomed the “exceptional” work carried out by Morocco in terms of information and intelligence exchange to better deal with radicalization.
We are collaborating to prevent attacks that could target Morocco or France, and to handle a number of individuals who have gone to theaters of war, such as obviously the theater of the Islamic State, or who are currently in our respective prisons,” he explained.
Darmanin stressed the importance of maintaining this cooperation in terms of information exchange, which “helps avoid tragedies both in France and in Morocco.”
He added that cooperation between Paris and Rabat covers major subjects of common interest in the cultural, legislative and judicial cooperation, among others, with a view to improving the lives of citizens of both countries.
Regarding civil cooperation, which is part of everyday life for French and Moroccans, such as marriages, divorces and inheritance, he said that this “was obviously work that still needs to be improved.”
Darmanin pointed out that recent visits to Morocco by senior French officials reflect “the strengthened and renewed partnership” between the two countries, which share a common history and very important ties of fraternity and solidarity.