Hanoi (VNA) – Following his official visit to Senegal, National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man will embark on a similar one to Morocco at the invitation of Speaker of the Moroccan House of Representatives Rachid Talbi Alami, contributing to consolidating and intensifying the sound friendship and win-win cooperation between the two countries.

Since establishing diplomatic relations on March 27, 1961, the friendship and bonds between Vietnam and Morocco have been steadily strengthened and developed across multiple sectors.

According to Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Hoang Giang, the Vietnam-Morocco ties have flourished across all three channels of Party, State and people-to-people diplomacy.

Political and diplomatic relations between the two countries have achieved significant milestones through increasingly frequent high-level delegation exchanges.

Both sides have supported each other at international forums. Morocco backed Vietnam's candidacy as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021, as well as membership in the Human Rights Council for 2023-2025 and in the UNESCO Executive Board for 2021-2025.

Potential for multi-sectoral cooperation

The African country officially recognised Vietnam’s market economy status in December 2014. Currently, the economic-trade relations have received attention from leaders of both sides, providing a solid foundation to bolster economic-trade exchanges and investment for tangible benefits of the two countries.

Bilateral trade turnover in 2024 reached over 302 million USD, a year-on-year increase of 28.5%. Vietnam exported 275.95 million USD worth of products to Morocco, primarily mobile phones and components, pepper, and coffee, while Morroco sold 26.52 million USD of goods, mainly computers and electronic components, fertilisers, leather, and footwear to the Southeast Asian country. Both countries have set a target of achieving 500 million USD in bilateral trade in the coming years.

According to Moroccan Ambassador to Vietnam Jamale Chouaibi, the two countries have significant cooperation potential in Halal industry, metallurgy, fertilizers, aviation, textiles, and footwear sectors. Morocco affirmed its readiness to support Vietnam in becoming an important player in the halal industry in Southeast Asia, evidenced by the participation of Moroccan Standards Institute (IMANOR) in the first Halal International Conference held in Hanoi in October 2024.

The diplomat noted that Vietnam aims to become an important player in the international Halal market. Meanwhile, Morocco, with its extensive experience in Halal certification, is ready to cooperate closely with Vietnam by supporting capacity building in production and export of Halal-certified products, particularly targeting Islamic countries in Africa and the Middle East, as well as European countries with large Muslim communities.

He also highlighted cooperation opportunities in green transition, particularly in innovative fields such as green hydrogen, offshore wind power, and carbon processing. With their respective expertise in electricity production and port logistics, both countries are well-positioned to partner in the sectors. They signed a Memorandum of Understanding on March 28, 2019, to strengthen bilateral cooperation in environment and sustainable development.

Regarding education-training cooperation, Morocco has granted annual scholarships to Vietnamese students since 2011. Currently, around 20 Vietnamese students are studying there. Past support also included training for Vietnamese journalists and diplomats.

The Moroccan gate in Ba Vi on the outskirts of Hanoi, he said, stands as a powerful symbol of shared memory, history and sacrifice between the two nations, creating a special, traditional, and historical relationship that Morocco has treasured. The Vietnam gate near Morocco’s Kenitra was constructed as a sibling of that in Ba Vi, serving as a tangible evidence of the enduring relationship.

These rapidly developing sectors, combined with shared commitment to promoting the economic partnership, not only strengthen bilateral relations but also position both countries as key players in potential high-growth markets.

Regarding cooperation at local level, both sides signed a cooperation agreement between Da Nang and Tangier in March 2019 and are working towards establishing twinning relationships between other cities.

Both countries established friendship associations in each country. The Vietnamese community in Morocco, formed since the 1940s, currently numbers some 300-400 people.

Expanding legislative cooperation

Cooperation between the legislative bodies of Vietnam and Morocco has always been emphasised, both bilaterally and multilaterally.

Vietnam's National Assembly and Morocco's House of Representatives signed a cooperation agreement during the official visit of Moroccan House Speaker Habib El Malki to Vietnam in December 2017. Both sides have promoted exchanges of delegations at all levels over the past years, which have paved the way for collaboration in many other areas.

Multilaterally, both parliaments have maintained contact and consultation at such forums as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Francophone Parliamentary Assembly (APF).

Based on excellent relations across all channels, Deputy Minister Giang said the top legislator’s official visit demonstrates Vietnam's consistent foreign policy and priority of strengthening and expanding cooperation with African countries, including Morocco. It is expected to mark a milestone with fresh cooperation prospects, initiating a period of deeper and broader development in the relations with Morocco, and with the entire African continent at large.

♔ The visit will provide an opportunity for Vietnam to diversify economic and trade cooperation, attract international resources to serve its development goals in the new era – that of the nation’s rise, while enhancing Vietnam's image and position internationally./.