Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and Morocco held the fourthmeeting of their Joint Committee and the fifth political consultation betweenthe two foreign ministries in Hanoi on April 23 and 24, during which theVietnamese side reiterated that it always treasures the comprehensivecooperation with Morocco.

The events were co-chaired by Vietnamese DeputyForeign Minister Vu Hong Nam and Moroccan Secretary of State to the Ministry ofForeign Affairs and International Cooperation Mounia Boucetta.

At the fourth meeting of the Vietnam-MoroccoJoint Committee, Mounia Boucetta highly valued the development achievements ofVietnam. 

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister Nam expressed hisdelight at the sound development of the countries’ relations, adding that thevisit to Vietnam by President of the Moroccan House of Representatives Habib ElMalki in December 2017 and the trip to the North African nation by ViceChairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Phung Quoc Hien in July 2017 setup close parliamentary ties.

Vietnam thanked Morocco for supporting itscandidacy for non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for2020-2021. Morocco also appreciated Vietnam’s support for its participation inthe Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

Regarding economic links, the two sides agreedto boost bilateral trade and investment by increasing mutual visits by theirbusinesses to explore markets and join hands in projects in other Africancountries.

They said current bilateral trade, estimated at170 million USD in 2017, remains modest compared to the countries’ potentialand political cooperation.

To enhance connections in this field, Moroccoasked the two sides consider reactivating the bilateral business council andpromoting relations in complementary areas like fertilizer and pharmaceuticalproduction, aquaculture, and rice trading.

[Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh greets Moroccan official]

The countries also affirmed that they willcontinue graduate and postgraduate scholarship programmes and step up ties ineducation and training through signing cooperation deals between their researchestablishments, organising mutual visits between researchers, and holdingsymposiums.

Vietnam welcomed Morocco’s sending of MaghrebArab Press (MAP) correspondents to Vietnam and establishment of theMorocco-Vietnam Friendship Association to boost people-to-people exchanges.

The two sides will also promote pairingVietnamese and Moroccan localities, including Nha Trang and Agadir, Ho Chi MinhCity and Casablanca, and Da Nang and Tangier.

At the meeting, a memorandum of understanding oncooperation was signed by Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, Invalids and SocialAffairs and Morocco’s Ministry of Labour and Professional Integration.Vietnam’s Maritime University and Morocco’s Institute of Maritime Studies alsoinked another memorandum.

At the two foreign ministries’ politicalconsultation, the officials discussed regional and international issues ofshared concern such as cooperation within the framework of the UN, ASEAN andthe African Alliance, the situation in the Asia-Pacific and the North Africa,climate change prevention, and sustainable development.

They also voiced concern about the escalation ofconflicts and instability in some regions around the world. They said disputesmust be resolved by peaceful means, through negotiations and on the basis ofinternational law and the UN Charter.-VNA