Drugs, migration, anti-terrorism, recruitment of imams figured at the center of the interviews conducted Friday, October 16 by the French Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin for his first visit to Morocco.
"
We were able to work on several subjects relating to national security and the fight against terrorism
", declared Gérald Darmanin after a meeting in Rabat with his Moroccan counterpart Abdelouafi Laftit.
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Regarding the fight against drug trafficking, the minister indicated that discussions were underway with a view to an agreement between the two countries.
Morocco occupies a "
quasi-monopoly
" in the supply of cannabis to Europe with an annual production estimated at more than 700 tons, for a value of 23 billion dollars, according to a study published in 2020 by the independent network "
Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime
”.
Cannabis seizures increased sharply in 2017 and 2018 in France, where resin represents three quarters of these seizures and comes almost entirely from Morocco, according to the latest report from the French Observatory for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT ).
"
France itself must do more to protect Morocco from trafficking leaving Europe (...) particularly for psychotropic products and synthetic drugs
", indicated Gérald Darmanin.
The issue of unaccompanied minors
Regarding illegal immigration, the Minister notably raised the issue of unaccompanied minors, their identification and their follow-up.
When migrants "
are of age, we agreed that it was normal to continue, despite the Covid crisis, for them to return to Moroccan territory, and when they are minors, to continue to protect (them) and to be able to bring them back when possible, to their families in Morocco or to Moroccan educational centers
, ”he said.
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So far, no European country has succeeded in putting in place mechanisms for the return of minors, these being protected by several texts, starting with the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.
During his visit, Gérald Darmanin was also to discuss the organization of Muslim worship in France and the recruitment of imams, themes included in a bill intended to counter “
Islamist separatism
”.
"
It's about seeing how we can improve things and understand the constraints of each one
", he noted.
