The 47th Arab Security Summit in Tangiers consolidates commitment against terrorism and cybercrime
Morocco's Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance (DGSN-DGST), Abdellatif Hammouchi, chaired the 47th Arab Security Summit in Tangier, which brought together senior security officials from several countries.
In the presence of the Secretary General of the Arab Council of Interior Ministers, the President of the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol), the President of the Nayef Arab University for Security Sciences and the heads of police and security services in 20 Arab states and six international and regional organisations, Hammouchi emphasised, in his opening speech, the importance of developing Arab security to create a common front to address emerging challenges, including terrorism and organised crime.
The Moroccan High Security Official shed light on the new security challenges in the Arab region, especially in the post-pandemic phase; listing the various dangers posed by the regional poles of terrorist organisations, especially in the African depths of several Arab states, as well as their relations with transnational organised crime networks.
Hammouchi praised the choice of the topic of discussion which dealt with the "Misuse of technology in the commission of cybercrime"; as well as highlighting "the challenges posed by criminal activities using information systems, especially with regard to the rapid polarisation of terrorist organisations, the commission of extortion, piracy and breaches of information security systems".
In this regard, he particularly emphasised "Morocco's commitment to support Arab and international cooperation and strengthen mechanisms to combat terrorism and various forms of organised crime", expressing "the readiness of Moroccan security agencies to share their experience with all Member States in order to face, with firm resolve, the various criminal threats".
Abdelatif Hammouchi shared with the Summit participants a video presentation on the Kingdom of Morocco and its security forces highlighting the development and modernisation of the North African country under the leadership of King Mohammed VI. It is worth recalling that this video was presented by the Directorate General of National Security last weekend in Vienna, Austria, where Morocco had the honour of hosting the 93rd session of INTERPOL's General Assembly in 2025.
In the same vein, Mohammed Ben Ali Koeman, Secretary General of the Council of Arab Ministers of Interior, congratulated King Mohammed VI and the Moroccan people on their recent achievements, especially after winning the honour of hosting the 2030 football World Cup in partnership with Spain and Portugal, as well as the selection of the city of Marrakech to host the 93rd INTERPOL General Assembly in 2025.
"Morocco's hosting of the 93rd session of the Interpol General Assembly is a recognition of the leadership of the Moroccan security services in establishing stability, consolidating security and addressing national, regional and international security issues," said Ben Ali Koeman, praising the crucial role of the Moroccan security forces in dealing with the aftermath of the Al-Haouz earthquake.
For his part, Ahmed Nasser al-Raisi, President of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), noted that "Morocco is an area of security and stability and a serious partner in the efforts to build a safer and more stable world".
Moreover, the Moroccan delegation participating in this event made a presentation on Morocco's experience in the fight against cybercrime, through which it examined the legal and regulatory framework; as well as the mechanisms to deal with these new crimes. While the Qatari security delegation made a presentation highlighting their country's experience in organising and securing the 2022 World Cup.
Participants at the Arab Security and Police Leaders Summit urged Arab security agencies to cooperate in the development of health provision for police officers. They appreciated Morocco's experience in the fight against cybercrime and recommended taking advantage of it.
At the end of the conference, Mohammed Ben Ali Koeman discussed the recommendations of the 47th Arab Police and Security Leaders' Conference. He also revealed the list of winning states for the best awareness-raising films made by security institutions in the framework of their communication and humanitarian missions.
The Kingdom of Morocco, represented by the General Directorate of National Security, won the award for the best awareness-raising film in the field of "community policing and the humanitarian dimension in the work of the security services". It is an awareness-raising film documenting the sacrifices made by members of the public forces to help and rescue the victims of the devastating earthquake of 8 September in the Marrakech region.
According to the General Directorate of National Security, the event represents a key opportunity to highlight the leading role played by the Moroccan security services in strengthening international and Arab cooperation. It is also an event that brings together most Arab states, with security leaders from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Tunisia, Djibouti, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania and Yemen.