Transnational crime: Spain supports Morocco with 20 surveillance systems
Madrid has decided to provide Rabat with 20 sophisticated surveillance systems worth a total of 4,120,000 euros, as part of an initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries and combating transnational crime, including irregular immigration.
This decision was revealed by Spanish media, including the website Independiente, which confirmed that the Spanish Ministry of the Interior will fully finance the purchase of this equipment, specifying that the agreement was signed on October 20, two months after the official decision to approve this acquisition, taken last August.
The Spanish Ministry of the Interior justified this move by the “specific rules of aid in the framework of international police cooperation”, highlighting that the collaboration between Morocco and Spain helped reduce the number of migrants last summer, despite the multiple attempts at massive penetration of the borders.
In the same context, the Ministry of Fernando Grande-Marlaska specified that these surveillance systems are part of the “aid aimed at strengthening the material capacities of the security forces of other countries or international organizations, with the aim of strengthening cooperation in areas such as the fight against terrorism, human trafficking, organized crime, drug trafficking, and any other form of transnational crime that threatens internal and international security.”
A few weeks ago, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior also stated that Morocco represents a “priority partner” for Spain in terms of immigration management, emphasizing the importance of continuing to develop cooperation with the kingdom in order to promote organized, regular and secure migration.
At the end of the 22nd meeting of the Moroccan-Spanish Joint Permanent Group on Immigration, chaired by the Spanish Secretary of State for Migration, Pilar Cancela Rodríguez, and the Wali Director of the Directorate of Immigration and Border Surveillance, Khalid Zerouali, a statement was issued. In it, the Spanish Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez Ruiz, thanked Morocco for its “commitment and efforts” in the face of common challenges, such as human trafficking, transnational crime and terrorism. Rafael Pérez Ruiz highlighted the “crucial” role played by Moroccan security forces in these areas, specifying that the intervention of the Moroccan authorities made it possible to thwart attempts to organize mass entries, launched on social networks last September, as indicated in the statement.
He also highlighted the decrease in the number of irregular migrants in the area of the Strait of Gibraltar, the Alboran Sea and the eastern Canary Islands, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of cooperation between the two countries in the fight against irregular immigration.
“The statistics reflect the migratory pressure in Africa and between Africa and Europe, but they also reflect the effectiveness of our cooperation,” added the Secretary of State.
Finally, the statement highlighted the “exemplary cooperation” and the “strengthened relationship” between the two countries in this area, with a highlighting of the main lines of the Spanish policy on the integration of migrants, as explained by the Secretary of State for Immigration.