NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man's visit is an opportunity to open a new era of bilateral ties: Moroccan Ambassador
WVR - According to Moroccan Ambassador to Vietnam Jamale Chouaibi, the upcoming visit to Morocco by National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man presents an opportunity to usher in a new era of bilateral relations - one that will reach new heights and become deeper, closer and more comprehensive.
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| NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man and Speaker of the House of Representatives of Morocco Rachid Talbi El Alami in Can Tho on January 21, 2025. (Source: quochoi.vn) |
On the occasion of the upcoming official visit to Morocco by National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, Moroccan Ambassador to Vietnam Jamale Chouaibi shared his thoughts with The World & Vietnam Report about the significance of the visit and the potentials for cooperation between the two countries.
Could you please share your thoughts on the significance and expectations of the NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man's upcoming visit to Morocco?
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| Moroccan Ambassador to Vietnam Jamale Chouaibi. (Photo: Thu Trang) |
The upcoming official visit to Morocco of NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man is a testimony of the genuine political will that exists from both sides to further deepen an widen the scope of our partnership.
This visit translates also into effect the mutual respect, the high consideration and the bonds of traditional friendship that unite the two countries.
The visit also signifies that the two countries do share some fundamental principles namely their commitment to the promotion of peace throughout the world and more particularly in Africa. Morocco and Vietnam are staunch supporters and contributors of troops to the UN Peace keeping operations.
Both Morocco and Vietnam are adamantly attached to settlements of disputes through dialogue, negotiation and mediation. Moreover, they are advocators of respect for the principles of territorial integrity, national sovereignty and non-interference in domestic affairs of States;
Moreover, Morocco and Vietnam are committed to the consolidation of South-South cooperation as an important means to address economic, political, social and environmental global challenges through sharing experience and lessons learned and by promoting knowledge and expertise among developing countries.
Both countries hold important geopolitical locations. Vietnam is considered as a gateway to Southeast Asia while Morocco is deemed as an economic bridge between Africa and Europe.
Both countries are emerging dynamic economies with sustainable growth attached to the virtues of multilateralism and diversification of partners.
These similarities are all here to create conditions for the consolidation of cooperation between the two countries.
Vietnam and Morocco have enjoyed nearly 65 proud years of historical cooperation. At present, the bilateral relations continue to grow. Could you highlight some key milestones in the cooperation between the two countries in recent years?
I would like to underline that the foundations of the historical relations between Morocco and Vietnam are laid on the shared historical memory. This dates back to 1940’s and 1950’s, before the independence of Morocco, when many Moroccan soldiers sent by France to Southeast Asia to help reassert the country’s colonial dominance in the region got disillusioned and defected from French forces to join Viet Minh fight for independence under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh.
The Morocco Gate in Ba Vi district, Hanoi, built between 1956 and 1960 by those Moroccan soldiers who left the French army stands out today as a testimony of these shared memory and solidarity.
We do rejoice in the fact that the Vietnamese side has taken the praiseworthy initiative to build the Vietnam Gate in Douar Sfari near Kenitra where the first Moroccan Vietnamese families settled about 50 years ago after the end Indochina war. This gate serves as a living reminder of shared sacrifice, cross cultural exchange and deep historical ties.
Morocco and Vietnam maintain regular consultations, through the Joint Commission of Cooperation (JCC). The two countries held 4 sessions of JCC and 5 sessions of political consultations. The 5th session of the JCC and the 6th session of the political consultations are scheduled for the near future in Rabat.
Moreover, the subcommittee on trade and industrial cooperation held two sessions in Rabat. The third session is scheduled in Hanoi next January.
Many high profile visits were undertaken from both side in the last three years namely: Meeting between NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man and Speaker of the House of Representatives of Morocco Rachid Talbi El Alami on the occasion of the 43rd General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) (November 2022); visit to Morocco by the Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate of Vietnam (PPSV)(November 2022); Working visit to Hanoi by the High Commissioner for Former Resistance Fighters and Former Members of the Kingdom's Liberation Army El Mostafa El Ktiri (March 2024); Visit to Rabat by Nguyen Trong Nghia, Member of the Political Bureau of the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP), Secretary of the VCP Central Committee and Chairman of the Party Committee's Information and Education Commission (June 2024); Visit to Rabat by a delegation from the Central Theoretical Council of Vietnam (October 2024).
These visits yielded positive results in that they consolidated the legal framework between the two sides and helped in opening new horizons in diverse sectors.
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| Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Hoang Giang receives Ambassador of Morocco to Vietnam Jamale Chouaibi on July 18. (Photo: Quang Hoa) |
Among the pillars of cooperation between Vietnam and Morocco, parliamentary diplomacy is highly valued by both sides. Could you share your assessment of parliamentary cooperation between the two countries in recent times?
During the last decade, the political relations between the two countries have witnessed important development, thanks to the ascending pace of high level delegations exchange, on the governmental and parliamentary level.
In this regard, we can cite: the official visit of the NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan to Morocco (March 2019); the visit of the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Morocco Habib El Malki to Vietnam (December 2017); the visit to Hanoi by Secretary General of the Moroccan Chamber of Representatives and President of the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments Najib El Khadi (June 2024); Speaker of the House of Representatives of Morocco Rachid Talbi El Alami attends the meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF) Executive Committee in Can Tho and held bilateral talks with NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man (January 2025); and official visit to the Kingdom by the NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man (July 2025).
Moreover, with the support of Vietnam the House of Representatives of the Kingdom Morocco was admitted as a new ASEAN Inter- Parliamentary Assembly observer member on the 10th September 2020 in Hanoi during the closing ceremony of the 41st General Assembly of AIPA under the chairmanship of Vietnam. Morocco becomes the 1st Arab and African country to obtain such a status.
The exchange of these visits have allowed signature of MOU between the two legislative bodies and many areas of cooperation have been identified namely: the sharing of best practices in the organization of parliamentary work; the promotion of the exchange of experience by putting human resources at the service of consultative work; the strengthening of “electronic parliament”, in particular mobile applications dedicated exclusively to the organization of parliamentary work; the conversation of common memory, notably through the establishment of a museum within the legislative institution (the Vietnamese NA already has a large museum); and the maintenance of reciprocal support within international forums, including the ASEAN Interparliamentary Assembly (AIPA), the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF), and International Parliamentary Union (IPU).
The multiplication of exchanges of high-level parliamentary delegations. The upcoming visit of the NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man should be taken as an opportunity to open a new era where our bilateral relations will reach new heights and become even closer and more comprehensive.
At the meeting between the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Morocco Rachid Talbi El Alami and NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man in January 2025, both leaders affirmed their desire to continue maintaining and developing more effective and substantive cooperation across all fields. In your view, what cooperation programs can be expected in the near future to promote bilateral cooperation, especially in areas of mutual priority?
It is worth underlining that both countries have launched ambitious sectorial plans and visions pertaining to some key areas such as renewable energies, digital transformations, tourism, agriculture, infrastructure and logistics, industrial and technological acceleration.
The end goal is to become leading emergent economies in their respective regions. This fact should constitute another opportunity for Morocco and Vietnam to share their experience, expertise and know how through the setting up of joint sectorial sub-committees dedicated to this end.
The two countries have complementary economies; Morocco is strong in phosphates, fertilizers, renewable energy and automotive industries while Vietnam excels in agriculture, aquaculture, textile, electronics and manufacturing.
Bilateral trade has seen relative growth but still below the potential and the target of 500 million dollars is set for 2026. Both Governments recognize the need to move beyond trade in goods and to foster investment and industrial cooperation especially in sectors such as chemicals, fertilizers, agro-industry and food processing.
Opportunities exist to promote cooperation in the development of halal goods and services, leveraging both countries’ access to third party markets through their respective free trade agreements.
Both countries are committed to the sustainable Development Goals and are rapidly expanding their renewable energy sectors. Both countries can then share best practices in policy making, capacity building and workforce development in green industries.
Logistics and banking cooperation were identified also as key areas to support import-export activities and facilitate smoother trade flows.
We should therefore concentrate our efforts to open direct maritime lines by signing the Sister Port MoU between “L’Agence Nationale des Ports” and Saigon Port Company. The main aim is to build a strong logistic chain between Morocco and Vietnam as a platform for export to Africa which would allow Vietnam to benefit from the legal arsenal set up between Morocco and many African countries.
Casablanca Financial City has become a financial hub for the French-speaking African market. Many of the major multinational manufacturers that have set up production units in Morocco have extended their activities to the African markets.
At the regional level, Morocco has placed its home continent Africa at the top of its development priorities. Vietnam for its side has always attached special importance to its relations with African countries and is seeking to expand its economic partnership network beyond its traditional partners.
Given that it is the biggest investor in western Africa and the second at the continental level, Morocco can serve as a facilitator for Vietnam to consolidate its presence in this promising continent in potential areas such as trade, investment, energy, environment, information and communication technology and agriculture.
Morocco and Vietnam can work together in Africa, including through joint-ventures projects, trilateral technical and economic cooperation, just like the current initiatives carried out by Morocco with other Asian countries such as Japan, China and Republic of Korea.
Vietnam, through its strategic location in South-East Asia and as a member of the ASEAN offers large perspectives of promising economic cooperation with Morocco. It is worth underscoring that Morocco has always sought to diversify its partners and reinforce its partnerships at all levels beyond traditional partners. To develop closer ties with ASEAN countries, stand out today as a priority for Morocco which values South South cooperation.
Morocco also signed the instruments of its accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) in 2016. The principles of TAC are in full conformity with Morocco’s policy namely respect for territorial integrity and national sovereignty, noninterference in domestic affairs and peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue and diplomatic means.
Morocco was the first African and Arab country to have joined join the Mekong River Commission (MRC) as a partner in 2017. The accession of Morocco to the status of Sectoral Dialogue Partner (SDP) with ASEAN in 2023 with the support of Vietnam has opened up new horizons for substantial and qualitative cooperation with all members of the ASEAN. An ambitious Action Plan is currently being implemented.
Given the fact that both countries are key players in their respective regions, Morocco is poised to serve as a gateway to African markets mainly in western Africa where Morocco has a multifaceted presence and has cumulated a precious experience in conducting business and carrying out projects in diverse sectors.
Likewise, Vietnam is deemed as an ideal gateway to ASEAN markets given its leading regional economic performance considered by all as a success story.
Thank you, Ambassador!
