Morocco to Send Cybersecurity Professionals to Qatar for the World Cup
Qatar, the first country in the Middle East to host the World Cup, has formed security partnerships with a number of countries ahead of the important athletic event. Morocco has agreed to send a team of cybersecurity specialists to Qatar ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to Rabat-based media.
Doha has requested Rabat's assistance in securing the important athletic event as part of its efforts to extend the two nations' security collaboration, according to Morocco World News.
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Abdellatif Hammouchi, the head of Morocco's General Directorate for National Security and Territorial Surveillance (DGSN-DGST), was in Doha on Friday. This happened on the grounds of the 2022 International Exhibition for Civil Defense and Internal Security (MILIPOL).
Qatar and Morocco are planning to expand their judicial collaboration
Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Thani, as well as Director of Public Security Saad bin Jassem Khulaifi, were among the senior Qatari officials that met with Hammouchi.
During his tour to the Gulf state, the Moroccan official also paid a visit to the Lusail Stadium, which will host the final World Cup 2022 match. Hammouchi took a tour of the stadium's security operations center and command post, where cybersecurity issues are expected to be handled.
Other types of security collaborations
Qatar, the first country in the Middle East to host the World Cup, has formed security partnerships with a number of countries ahead of the important athletic event. Turkey, France, and the United Kingdom are among them.
Turkey announced last year that it will send 3,000 members of its riot police units to Qatar for the World Cup. This was the result of conversations with Qatari officials that began in 2017. Ankara has suggested that a general coordinator from Turkish law enforcement, 40 security consultants, and search dogs might be added to the number of Turkish officers.
Meanwhile, last year, the French Armed Forces agreed to send security personnel and equipment to Qatar. A BASSALT anti-drone technology is included, which helps detect and identify incoming drones. France has said that one of its four E-3F Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, which can track hundreds of targets, will be sent.
Meetings between Qatari and British defense officials took place last year to discuss collaborative security at the major athletic event. The two countries had also collaborated in the 'Watan' exercise, which evaluated World Cup preparations.
The British Royal Air Force and Royal Navy will provide counter-terror policing to Qatar throughout the World Cup, according to UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who spoke to The Telegraph on Saturday.
Morocco-Qatar ties
In February, Morocco's Prime Minister, Aziz Akhannouch, paid a visit to Qatar. The tour coincided with the 8th session of the Joint Supreme Committee of Qatar and Morocco, which saw key memorandums of understanding signed (MoU).
Endowments and Islamic issues, as well as tourism and business collaboration, are all covered under the MoUs. Following a meeting between Qatari and Moroccan authorities to discuss the extension of judicial cooperation, the visit took place.
With 80 Moroccan companies working in Qatar in a variety of industries, including hospitality and fashion, business remains a critical component of the nations' bilateral relations. In 2021, bilateral commerce exchange increased significantly, reaching 754 million QAR compared to 330 million QAR in 2017.
During the 2017 GCC crisis, Qatar and Morocco's diplomatic connections grew stronger. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt had placed an unlawful land, air, and sea blockade on Qatar at the time, based on allegations that it sponsored terrorism. Doha has categorically denied these allegations.
Rabat had volunteered to act as a mediator between the region's governments while remaining neutral. It also promised to send food to Qatar "in accordance with Islamic precepts that call for Muslim-to-Muslim brotherhood and mutual aid."