Hanoi (VNA)🌠 – In 2024, the cooperation between Vietnam and Morocco recorded significant progress marked by a series of official visits aimed at enhancing friendship and collaboration in various fields, Moroccan Ambassador to Vietnam Jamale Chouaibi said in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

Politically, many high-level visits by the two countries’ officials were conducted last year, notably the visit to Morocco by Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the committee's Commission for Information and Education Nguyen Trong Nghia from May 29 – June 3, as well as the visit by Prof. Dr Ta Ngoc Tan, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Central Theory Council of Vietnam in October. These visits not only strengthened bilateral relations but also highlighted the common interests of both countries. Regarding parliamentary cooperation, the year 2024 witnessed robust development with notable events including the visit to Vietnam by Najib El-Khadi, Secretary-General of the Moroccan House of Representatives and the visit to Morocco by a working delegation of the National Assembly’s Delegate Affairs Committee led by its permanent deputy head Nguyen Tuan Anh. In terms of economic relations, the 2nd meeting of the Vietnam - Morocco Subcommittee on Trade and Industry Cooperation, held in November in Rabat, highlighted many potential areas for cooperation, such as Halal industry, metallurgy, fertilizers, aviation, textiles and garments, and footwear. Morocco expressed its readiness to support Vietnam in becoming a key player in the Halal industry in Southeast Asia, demonstrated by the participation of the Moroccan national standards body IMANOR at the first international conference on the Halal industry held in Hanoi in October 2024. Additionally, the visit to Hanoi by High Commissioner for Former Resistance Fighters and Former Members of the Liberation Army of Morocco, along with the active participation of the Moroccan Embassy in Vietnam in cultural events such as the International Culinary Festival 2024 in Hanoi and the Young Francophone Reporters contest, contributed to strengthening cultural and historical relations and preserving shared memories between the two nations. These exchange activities reflect the common ambition and determination of both countries to enhance bilateral relations, aiming to build a strong and enduring partnership. As Morocco is a country at the forefront of the green transition, while Vietnam is also striving to achieve the sustainable development goals, Ambassador Chouaibi said that the two countries can further cooperate in addressing common challenges related to climate change and energy security. He said Morocco and Vietnam - two countries facing similar challenges related to sustainable development and responding to the impacts of climate change, have set ambitious goals for sustainable development as well as ensuring energy and food security through the implementation of large-scale energy transition projects. This transition process opens up many opportunities for cooperation, especially in innovative fields such as green hydrogen, offshore wind energy, and carbon management. With extensive expertise in electricity production and port operations, both countries have a solid foundation to create promising cooperative links. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two countries on March 28, 2019 aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation in the fields of environment and sustainable development. It is one of the important existing cooperation tools between the two countries. The biggest challenge for both Morocco and Vietnam is finding the optimal balance between economic development and environmental protection. Through cooperation, Morocco and Vietnam can combine efforts to develop innovative solutions to confront climate and energy problems in the 21st century, the ambassador said. Regarding promising cooperation areas that the two countries can promote in the coming years, Ambassador Chouaibi highlighted the areas of Halal industry and tourism. He said Morocco, with its extensive experience in Halal certification, is ready to collaborate closely with Vietnam by supporting the enhancement of production and export capacities for Halal-certified products, particularly targeting Muslim countries in Africa and the Middle East, as well as European countries with large Muslim communities. Meanwhile, in terms of tourism, he said both Morocco and Vietnam are attractive destinations with rich historical heritage, cultural diversity, and unique natural landscapes. The two countries can cooperate in promoting travel itineraries that connect the two countries. To lay the groundwork for collaboration in these promising areas, both countries will initially focus on exchanging experience in sustainable development, training human resources in the hospitality and tourism sectors, as well as preserving and promoting the value of historical heritage. At the same time, the two countries can cooperate to develop joint projects in areas where both have strengths, such as coastal tourism, cultural tourism, and eco-tourism. The ambassador emphasised that with a role in strengthening cooperation and friendship between Vietnam and Morocco, the Moroccan Embassy in Hanoi is committed to making continuous efforts. The embassy develops an action programme for every new year with identified priorities. This programme includes monitoring and implementing activities in the economic and cultural sectors, such as strengthening the legal framework through judicial cooperation agreements; organising events in the form of seminars and field visits to identify potential areas of cooperation and promote relations between the economic operators of the two countries; producing a documentary or feature film that celebrates the common struggle for independence; and the establishment of a museum to preserve the common heritage and history of the two countries. The embassy pays special attention to organising events to honour Morocco's wealth and cultural diversity, and at the same time portrays the historical friendship between Morocco and Vietnam. These activities may include festivals, film screenings, and cultural days, such as the Hanoi International Food Festival or the FESPACO Film Festival. Many tourism initiatives will be implemented to promote cooperation between travel companies and tour operators in the two countries, the ambassador noted./.