"Mali is a key partner for Spain in controlling unlawful migratory flows", says Juan Ignacio Zoido

During this meeting, Juan Ignacio Zoido was accompanied by the Director General of International Relations and Immigration, Elena Garzón, and the Deputy Director General of International Relations and Immigration, Manuel Alhama, at a bilateral meeting that they both described as "very useful and highly satisfactory" for strengthening cooperation and the exchange of information between Spain and Mali in relation to home affairs issues.

Juan Ignacio Zoido remarked to Salif Traoré that Spain will continue to invite members of the Malian law enforcement agencies to take part in training and specialisation courses at the academies of the National Police and the Guardia Civil where, since 2008, almost 100 members have participated in different police training courses. In this regard, Juan Ignacio Zoido announced Spain's commitment to continue helping Mali through direct aid and the transfer of material, and within the framework of the European Union, by taking part in different projects such as GAR-SI Sahel, Blue Sahel and the EUCAP-Sahel Mali Mission, among others.

On the matter of migration, the Spanish Minister for Home Affairs stated to his Malian counterpart that the best formula for fighting human trafficking networks is prevention at source and cooperation with the countries of origin and transit of these migratory flows. "Mali is a key partner for Spain in controlling illegal migratory flows", declared Juan Ignacio Zoido.

During their meeting, Juan Ignacio Zoido and Salif Traoré also addressed other issues related to the fight against terrorism, organised crime and human trafficking networks. In this regard, Juan Ignacio Zoido highlighted that the European Union, and Spain in particular, have adopted various measures to cooperate with the Sahel countries, and specifically with Mali, to create strong and self-sufficient police units to combat terrorism and control borders, and to prevent risks and threats from illegal immigration, drug trafficking, terrorism and organised crime.

The Spanish Minister for Home Affairs, Juan Ignacio Zoido, outlined to his Malian counterpart, Salif Traoré, the operational work of the Spanish law enforcement agencies in fighting Jihadi terrorism which, since 2004, have carried out 229 operations leading to a total number of 769 arrests. Furthermore, since 26 June 2015, the date on which the Ministry of home Affairs raised the Counter-Terrorism Alert Level (Spanish acronym: NAA) to level 4, the law enforcement agencies have arrested 162 Jihadi terrorists in operations carried out in Spain and abroad, and have made a total of 210 arrests (175 in Spain and 35 abroad) in 108 counter-terrorism operations (94 in Spain and 14 abroad) since the start of 2015.

Juan Ignacio Zoido expressed to Salif Traoré that, despite the fact that bilateral collaboration between Spain and Mali is fluid in relation to the fight against terrorism and organised crime, it is necessary to step it up and enhance it further. To that end, Juan Ignacio Zoido recalled that this cooperation has several tools available to it, such as the Bilateral Convention between Spain and Mali on Cooperation in Combating Organised International Crime, which came into force in January 2013 and which provides for a Technical Monitoring Committee.

In this regard, Juan Ignacio Zoido announced that the first meeting of this committee will take place in Madrid in mid-June. "I am convinced that it will serve to improve our cooperation and the exchange of information in relation to home affairs", stressed the Spanish Minister for Home Affairs.