G4 ministers agree to offer more flexible and operational responses to problems

USPA NEWS - The Spanish Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz, participated on Tuesday at the meeting of G4 interior ministers of Portugal, Spain, France and Morocco, held in Lisbon. The migratory flows, drug trafficking and the fight against terrorism are some topics discussed at the meeting.

During this meeting, the third since the creation of the G4 in early 2013, the ministers discussed various issues related to the management of migratory flows, the fight against drug trafficking, the fight against terrorism and police cooperation. Spain considers it essential that the fight against immigration is one of the pillars of the G4. In this regard, Fernandez Diaz defended the need to identify specific measures in the field of migration, well-designed projects, funded and implemented to combat criminal networks trafficking in human beings.

Regarding the Mobility Partnership EU with Morocco to Spain "is relevant to this agreement becomes an instrument of great importance to strengthen cooperation with a country like Morocco, working effectively with the European Union migration issues," said the minister. Fernandez Diaz said that Spain has collaborated with Morocco from the outset in the development of this new policy on issues such as asylum legislation and regularization processes. Now, the minister added, it is the time to launch new projects that serve "to show that they are working to solve common challenges."

The interior ministers of the G4 agreed to advance the development of common and effective mechanisms in the fight against drug trafficking by air assets and its modus operandi. At this point, Fernandez Diaz highlighted the impetus given by the Working Group on Drug Trafficking has driven cooperation to eliminate drug trafficking by air in the Strait of Gibraltar through Telos Plan, an effort led by the Spanish Guardia Civil that constitutes "a model of coordination of border surveillance strategies and the fight against drug trafficking, open to cooperation with all members of the G4.“

The ministers meeting in Lisbon also discussed drug trafficking by sea, which has not only increased but has diversified its modus operandi, as it occurs not only by merchant or fishing vessels but also by boats, containers and speedboats, or as in the case of the Strait of Gibraltar, they have been used even jet skis. And respect to the fight against terrorism, G4 ministers agreed to strengthen the exchange of information and best practices, joint work to prevent autoradicalización apology and the Internet, as well as increased cooperation to detect terrorist travel potential, especially minors.