The Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Kao Kim Hourn, expressed his unwavering support for Morocco’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in Rabat on Tuesday.
This position was expressed in the joint summary made public at the end of the meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita, and Kao, who is on a working visit to Morocco from June 24 to 26.
In this joint summary, the two sides have stressed “their unwavering support to the principles of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of UN Member States, which include ASEAN Member States and Morocco, as well as the non-interference in internal affairs and the peaceful settlement of disputes.”
The meeting between the two senior officials also provided an opportunity to underline the excellent ties between the Kingdom of Morocco and ASEAN, which comprises the 10 countries of Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei-Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia), and to discuss actions to be taken to strengthen relations between the Kingdom and this regional grouping, both in terms of substance and scope.
Kao, on his first visit to the Kingdom and to Africa, expressed his high appreciation of Morocco’s actions and commitment to strengthening cooperation with ASEAN and its member states.
In this respect, “he welcomed Morocco’s presence and commitment to various structures in the ASEAN regions, such as the Mekong River Commission (MRC), the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO).”
In addition, the ASEAN Secretary-General noted with satisfaction Morocco’s active participation in various ASEAN events, including seminars and workshops on human rights, economic cooperation, transport, social welfare and development, connectivity and smart city development, among others.
For his part, MFA Bourita stressed that the strengthening of relations between Morocco and ASEAN is in line with the strategic vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to diversify the Kingdom’s partners and promote strong, mutually supportive South-South cooperation.
He reiterated Morocco’s readiness to support and collaborate with ASEAN in many sectors, in a win-win approach, both with the Organization and with all its member states.
The Minister expressed his thanks to Kao, and through him to ASEAN member states, for their support in Morocco’s bid to become an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner in September 2023.
The two sides also welcomed the holding of the second meeting of the ASEAN-Morocco Joint Sectoral Cooperation Committee (AM-JSCC) in Jakarta on November 27, 2024, while the 3rd session is scheduled for November 2025.
The two officials underlined the importance of the training programs offered by the Moroccan Institute of Training, Research and Diplomatic Studies (IMFRED) to diplomats from ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Secretariat.
They also welcomed the fruitful cooperation programs existing between ASEAN member states and Morocco, through the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI), for ASEAN member states and African countries.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.
