Morocco and the United States signed a new bilateral agreement on Tuesday to strengthen cargo security under the Container Security Initiative (CSI), aimed at facilitating the growing volume of trade between the two countries. The signing ceremony in Rabat brought together Donald Conroy, Executive Director at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Abdellatif Amrani, Director General of Morocco's Customs and Excise Administration, and U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Aimee Cutrona, accordign to a press release by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The CSI agreement deepens law enforcement cooperation between the two countries by enhancing information-sharing and cargo targeting capabilities to detect customs violations and potential threats. Casablanca and Tanger Med ports, central to Morocco's trade and development, will play a key role in the initiative. «Today's signing marks not just the expansion of the CSI program, but the strengthening of a partnership rooted in trust, innovation, and a shared responsibility to protect our global community», Conroy said. «With this accession, we reaffirm our commitment to harmonizing security with the seamless flow of trade, thereby consolidating Tanger Med's standing as a secure, world-class maritime hub», said Amrani. Originally launched in 2002 in response to the 9/11 attacks, CSI relies on a risk-based, pre-screening model to identify high-risk cargo before it leaves foreign ports for the U.S. It works through partnerships with customs agencies worldwide. The new arrangement builds on a 2013 Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement between the two governments, which already provides a legal framework for exchanging evidence to prevent and investigate customs offenses.
