France decorates Abdellatif Hammouchi

France's Official Bulletin of Decorations, Medals and Rewards published a list of decorations which includes Abdellatif Hammouchi, head of the General Directorate of National Security and the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance of Morocco (DGSN-DGST).

The French Ministry of the Interior has thus given orders in the French Official Gazette for the exceptional awarding of the Gold Class Order of Honour to Abdellatif Hammouchi, following a decree issued on 20 June 2024.

The decision to decorate Abdellatif Hammouchi, endorsed by the French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, serves to recognise the outstanding role of the Moroccan Director General of National Security in strengthening security cooperation between Morocco and France, following a long-standing cooperative relationship of many years between the security services of the two countries. Hammouchi has recently played an important role in the exchange of information and coordination in the fight against terrorism and organised crime.

This award comes in recognition of Abdellatif Hammouchi's career in the field of security and defence both in Morocco and internationally, thanks to the Moroccan kingdom's extensive cooperation in this field with many important countries on the international scene, such as the United States, Germany, Spain and France itself.

Morocco is a key player in the maintenance of security and the fight against terrorist groups and criminal gangs that operate mainly in North Africa and the Sahel, convulsive areas that suffer from instability in many cases and require extensive international vigilance and collaboration to prevent attacks and criminal acts, which can also have repercussions in other areas around the world. 

In this regard, Abdellatif Hammouchi has been recognised for his high efficiency and important contribution to security cooperation. This is evidenced by the many meetings he has held with the top security officials of many countries to coordinate action against terrorist groups and criminal gangs. 

The head of security in the Moroccan kingdom has met with important figures such as William Burns, director of the American Intelligence Agency (CIA), Lieutenant General Abdulaziz bin Mohammed al-Howairini, head of the Saudi Arabian Security Service, Abdullah bin Mohammed al-Khulaifi, head of the Qatari Security Service, and Eugenio Pereiro Blanco, Spain's Commissioner General of Information, among others. 

Now, from France comes the recognition of Abdellatif Hammouchi as one of the most outstanding security figures on the national and international scene. It should be recalled that he also received the Gold Medal of Honour of the French National Police from the French authorities.

Indeed, Abdellatif Hammouchi's work is highly valued and Morocco is considered an essential partner in terms of protection and security. In fact, Morocco's Director General of National Security visited the French country to strengthen security cooperation in the run-up to the recently held Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in order to deal with the terrorist threat that always hangs over major international events. 

Contacts on French soil focused on ways to cooperate in the fight against terrorism and organised crime, addressing the importance of exchanging information and intelligence to counter extremist threats and transnational criminal networks. On this occasion, Abdellatif Hammouchi met with the Director General of the French National Police, Frédéric Veaux, to discuss cooperation and coordination in various areas of security ahead of the Olympic Games. 

The distinction received by Abdellatif Hammouchi is not the first of its kind for Morocco's Director General of National Security. He has received several medals from other countries in recognition of his great efforts in the field of security and in recognition of his key role in strengthening security not only in Morocco, but also regionally and globally.