Hanoi (VNA) – ꧂With its business experience in Africa, Morocco will create conditions for Vietnamese firms to safely access the Moroccan market and others in the region, Ambassador of Morocco Jamale Chouaibi has affirmed. 

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, Chouaibi stressed that the similarities shared by the two countries will help promote their cooperation and coordination in the future. The two countries share geo-political similarities, he continued, explaining that Morocco is seen as a gateway to Africa and Europe, while Vietnam is a gateway to Southeast Asia. Both are newly-emerging, dynamic economies with stable growth, and have been stepping up the policies of diversifying trade partners and human resources, the ambassador added. The biggest investor in West Africa and the second largest in Africa, Morocco has a substantial presence in the continent in important spheres such as insurance, banking, energy and telecommunications. Despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam is also among very few countries with the fastest growth in Asia and the world at large, he said, noting the Southeast Asian country's 8% growth in 2022, higher than the set target, which was lauded by international financial organisations. Vietnam has also seen marked increases in foreign direct investment (FDI) and trade surplus, the diplomat said. He suggested the two countries join tripartite or quadripartite projects in Africa, particularly in agriculture, with the participation of international donors. Chouaibi held that the consolidation of the bilateral relations is the common wish of the two countries aiming to promote and foster the South-South cooperation. In its strategy, Vietnam is focusing on expanding and diversifying the network of economic partners, apart from traditional ones in South Africa, he said, noting that East Africa and West Africa would be the next targets of the strategy. Both countries have displayed their strong political will to consolidate and expand the bilateral ties, as reflected through the increasing number of signed agreements, covering various fields, from trade and investment to energy-mining, banking, education-training and aviation, along with many memoranda of understanding. Such documents have helped promote the decentralised cooperation model, which is being rolled out between cities, ports and universities, according to the diplomat.  He said the active development of the relations have also been reflected through the growing trade. Currently, Vietnam is the second most important partner of Morocco in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Morocco’s appointment of an honorary consul in Ho Chi Minh City on December 7, 2021, has created a new momentum, contributing to generating more trade and business opportunities between the two countries, the ambassador said. He emphasised that the establishment of a twinning relationship between Casablanca, Morocco's industrial and financial centre, and HCM City, Vietnam’s southern metropolis, in the future will surely create a new impulse for the Vietnam-Morocco relations. The ambitious plans outlined by the two countries in renewable energy, digital transformation, tourism, agriculture, infrastructure and logistics, industry and technology, with the aim of becoming leading emerging economies in the regions, will be the opportunities for them to share experience through inter-sectoral committees, he continued. On the occasion of Vietnam’s Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, Chouaibi expressed his hope that the New Year will bring hopes and aspirations for successes and victories, giving new momentum to Vietnamese people on the path of pursuing happiness and prosperity./.