Rabat – Spain has awarded Morocco’s Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance (DGSN-DGST) Abdellatif Hammouchi, the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Spanish Civil Guard.
A statement from DGSN said that Spain’s Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, chaired today the official award ceremony in Madrid.
The distinction is the highest honor granted by the Spanish Civil Guard to foreign personalities in recognition of their contribution to security cooperation.
According to Grande-Marlaska, the award reflects Spain’s recognition of Hammouchi’s key role in expanding the security partnership between Morocco and Spain.
The distinction also applauds Hammouchi’s exceptional efforts in developing and modernizing Morocco’s national security and intelligence services, the statement added, hailing the DGSN-DGST chief’s effective approach to countering terrorism and organized crime.
Spain, along with a large number of countries in the EU and beyond, has long emphasized Hammouchi’s security vision, commending his efforts in making Morocco one of the world’s safest places and contributing to international security.
The international community has also long recognized Morocco’s efforts in counterterrorism and other security areas. In particular, Spain has consistently emphasized Rabat’s vigilance and role in combating organized crime in the Mediterranean.
Earlier this year, while on an official visit to Morocco, Javier Antonio Susin Bercero, a high-level security official in Spain, acknowledged that the North African country has saved Spain from terrorist attacks on various occasions.
Over the years, Morocco’s counterterrorism unit has contributed to dismantling several terror cells in Spain by providing key intelligence to their counterpart in Madrid.
The two countries are now emphasizing their shared determination to further boost security cooperation, especially as they work toward co-hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2030 along with Portugal.
During today’s ceremony, the Spanish interior minister stressed his country’s commitment to deepening ties with Rabat based on “mutual trust, particularly in preparation” for the FIFA tournament, the statement added.
He described the global competition as an opportunity to further boost the bonds of friendship and cooperation between Rabat and Madrid.
During his visit to Madrid, Hammouchi also held talks with senior Spanish security officials to discuss the need to enhance joint operations against violent extremism and transnational organized crime.
This is not the first time Hammouchi has received an invaluable recognition prize from the Spanish security establishment.
In 2014, Spain awarded him the Honorary Cross of Police Merit with Red Distinction. The highest honor award was in recognition of his contribution to building an “exemplary security partnership” between Morocco and Spain, an official statement said at the time.
He has also received three major French distinctions – namely, in 2011, 2024, and 2025.
Meanwhile, the Council of Arab Interior Ministers awarded him the Prince Nayef Medal for Arab Security in 2025.
Hammouchi also received the Wissam Al Arch of the Officer rank from King Mohammed VI in 2011.