Nasser Purida. Credit: Mustafa Razi / Le Desk
During the 56th Conference of Foreign Ministers of the Member States held in Jakarta on July 11 and 12, 2023, Morocco received an agreement in principle to obtain Sectoral Dialogue Partner status with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Indonesia.
The Kingdom, the first African country to benefit from this position, aims to raise its cooperation with ASEAN to a higher level through this partnership, thereby contributing to regional peace, stability, security, development and prosperity in both regions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Affairs, African cooperation and Moroccans living abroad, in a press release.
This position also reflects the Kingdom’s vision of ministering to the Kingdom’s partnerships, particularly on the Asian continent.
The Sectoral Dialogue Partnership defines the basis and opportunities for multilateral cooperation between ASEAN and Morocco in sectors identified by both parties. To this end, Morocco proposed in February 2018 a cooperation action plan targeting areas of cooperation of common interest that contribute to ASEAN’s vision by 2025, a press release indicating that the action plan was updated in February 2023. Taking into account the developments since then, especially the effects related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The partnership represents an opportunity for substantial cooperation based on the win-win approach at the heart of the South-South cooperation policy advocated by Morocco, adding to the same resource.
Similarly, we continue, Morocco has expressed its willingness to share its experience and expertise with ASEAN member states in areas where the Kingdom’s reputation is recognized and recognized internationally, such as agriculture, food security, fisheries, marine pollution control, trade, investment promotion, etc. Tourism and Education.
It should be recalled that Morocco acceded to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in September 2016. Since then, the kingdom has strengthened its presence in other regional bodies in Southeast Asia, particularly those that are institutionally or geographically connected. ASEAN. Rabat signed two MoUs in 2017 and 2022 with the Mekong River Commission (MRC), which includes Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
Formed in 1967, ASEAN comprises 10 countries namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam and is the 3rd largest economic power in Asia as a group. Six other countries enjoy “sectoral dialogue partner” status with ASEAN, namely Switzerland, Norway, Turkey, Pakistan, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates, the report concludes.
