The Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Mr. Kao Kim Hourn, praised His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s leadership in advancing social and economic development in Morocco, expressing his appreciation for the Royal initiatives for Africa.
This position was expressed in the Joint Summary of Meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita, and ASEAN Secretary-General.
In this document, Kao, who is on his first visit to Morocco and Africa, praised “His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s leadership in advancing social and economic developments towards ensuring continued stability, prosperity and development in the country.”
He also commended “the major socio-economic and infrastructure developments and the successful reforms achieved in Morocco.”
Kao also praised His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s enlightened vision for the African continent through the Strategic Royal Initiatives.
In this regard, he noted with appreciation the Atlantic Initiatives launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, namely the Initiative to enable Atlantic Ocean Access for Sahel states, the Africa-Atlantic Gas pipeline (AAGP) and the Atlantic African States Initiatives.
The ASEAN Secretary-General underlined that Morocco’s “numerous assets make it an attractive platform for trade and investments for ASEAN governments and business communities.”
He added that the “partnership between both sides will facilitate the access of ASEAN to the African space and the opportunities offered under the Atlantic Initiatives in the region.”
Mr. Bourita and Kao agreed that Morocco offers an important gateway for ASEAN Member States to Africa. In the same vein, ASEAN represents a real opportunity for Morocco to develop and open up for more economic cooperation with the region in particular and with Asia as a whole.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn is paying a working visit to Morocco from June 24 to 26 at the invitation of Mr. Bourita.
This regional grouping includes the 10 countries of Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.
