Rabat (VNA) – Vietnam always attaches importance to developing thefriendship and multi-faceted cooperation with Africa, and Morocco is thecountry’s priority partner in North Africa, National Assembly Chairwoman NguyenThi Kim Ngan has said.

The top legislator made the affirmation at a meeting with Morocco’s PrimeMinister Saadeddine Othmani in Rabat on March 28 (local time) as part of her officialvisit to the African country.

Highlighting the close ties between Vietnam and Morocco during the paststruggles for national liberation, Ngan said the two countries haveresponsibility for passing down the friendship to their young generations.

Ngan briefed her host on Vietnam’s socio-economic development in 2018, witheconomic growth rate at 7.08 percent and the stable macro economy.

Vietnam has also integrated intensively and extensively into the world,she said, adding that the country has signed and implemented 12 free tradeagreements (FTAs) and is negotiating four others, both multilaterally andbilaterally.

In November 2018, the Vietnamese legislature approved the Comprehensive andProgressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), she said.

The Vietnamese legislative leader noted that although the political relationsbetween Vietnam and Morocco are developing fruitfully, their economic-tradeties have yet to match their potential and aspirations, with two-way tradereaching only 212.7 million USD last year.

With a population of about 90 million, Vietnam is willing to serve as a gatewayfor Morocco to enter the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) market,the leader stressed.

She lauded joint efforts to accelerate the opening of air routes between thetwo countries and strengthen cooperation in the banking sector in order to makeit easier for enterprises of the two sides to expand investment and business inthe future.

Ngan used the occasion to thank Morocco for its support and cooperation withVietnam at multilateral cooperation mechanisms, saying to narrow thegeographical distance, the two countries should cooperate more closely andeffectively.

She conveyed Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s invitation to the Moroccan PM tosoon pay an official visit to Vietnam, and asked the PM to convey theinvitation of Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong to KingMohammed VI to pay a State visit to her country.

For his part, the Moroccan PM said Ngan’s visit takes place amidst the thrivingbilateral political ties, and suggested the two sides strengthen their economicand cultural relations.

Congratulating Vietnam on socio-economic achievements the country has recordedlast year, he said Morocco is also opening up the economy and has signed FTAswith major economies like the US, the EU and many Arabian countries.

The PM said as Morocco is playing an increasingly important role in Africa, thecountry stands ready to serve as a door for goods from Vietnam and other countriesto penetrate Africa.

He urged Vietnam and Morocco to enhance their economic links and sign moreagreements to facilitate those links, saying enterprises of the two countriesneed to step up their connectivity to seek investment and business opportunities.

With political stability, both countries are safe for investors, he said,noting that Morocco has attracted the largest number of foreign investors inAfrica.

In tourism, Morocco leads North Africa in terms of  foreign holiday-makers and expects to welcomeabout 12 million in 2019, he added.

The leader thanked Vietnam for its support to Morocco at international forumsas well as at the regional level like cooperation with ASEAN.

The Moroccan Government has great determination to deepen and diversifyrelations with Vietnam, he said. -VNA