The President of Romania, Klaus Werner Lohannis, awarded the decoration of the National Order “The Star of Romania”–in the rank of Grand Officer–with insignia for civilians, to Morocco’s head of intelligence agency DGED, Mohamed Yassine Mansouri, in Bucharest last Month, as published in “EU Briefs.com.”
This accolade is a testament to Morocco’s engagement in promoting regional security and developing relations with its Romanian counterpart.
Notification of this award was published on November 9, 2023 in the Official Gazette of the Romanian Republic–Monitorul Oficial–following Presidential Decree no. 1.365 issued on November 6, 2023.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu recently praised the fruitful security cooperation between the two countries’ foreign intelligence services.
The National Order Star of Romania–instituted on May 10, 1877–was the first official order granted by the Romanian state. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians for outstanding service to the state.
Morocco assisted Romania in the release of Romanian national Lulian Ghergut, who was abducted in Burkina Faso in 2015 by an al-Qaeda-linked group.
Ciolacu had phoned Moroccan head of government Aziz Akhannouch to thank him, expressing willingness to forge ahead with bilateral cooperation in commenting, “Looking forward to continuing dialogue and building our cooperation further. Special thanks to Morocco’s intelligence services for the recent cooperation.”
Likewise, Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu engaged in a phone conversation with Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita in regard to the “excellent bilateral cooperation and common future oriented priorities.”