National Assembly Chairman holds talks with Chairman of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Morocco

At the invitation of National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, a delegation of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Morocco led by Speaker of the House of Representatives Habib El Malki and his wife paid an official visit to Vietnam from December 16 to 22, 2017.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Moroccan House of Representatives President Habib El Malki

On the morning of December 18, after the official welcoming ceremony, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Moroccan House of Representatives President Habib El Malki held talks.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan warmly welcomed Speaker of the House of Representatives Habib El Malki and the delegation of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Morocco to their official visit to Vietnam; congratulated the success of the House of Representatives election in Morocco and Mr. Habib El Malki being elected Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The National Assembly Chairman assessed that the visit of the Moroccan House delegation aimed to strengthen the friendly relations between the two countries' legislative bodies, making an important contribution to further promoting the friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Morocco.

Moroccan House of Representatives President Habib El Malki expressed his pleasure in his official visit to Vietnam and thanked National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan for her warm and respectful welcome. The Moroccan House of Representatives President said that despite the geographical distance, the people of the two countries have historical ties, share good memories, and a common desire to build a developed country towards the future. This is a good foundation for the two countries to continue to develop their good traditional friendship.

Congratulating the first female Chairwoman of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Speaker of the House of Representatives Habib El Malki assessed that Vietnam has made great strides in the fight for women's liberation and enhancing the role of women in the family and society.

Reviewing the areas of bilateral cooperation, the President of the Moroccan House of Representatives emphasized that Vietnam is a dynamic and future-oriented developing country. The visit is an opportunity to learn about the depth and richness of Vietnam's history and culture, and culture is an area where the two countries can promote cooperation.

At the talks, the National Assembly Chairman affirmed that in implementing its foreign policy, Vietnam always attaches importance to developing friendly relations and multifaceted cooperation with African countries, including Morocco, a priority partner in the North African region. Vietnam always pays close attention to the situation in Morocco and is pleased with the important achievements that the Moroccan people have made in socio -economic development and international integration, contributing to enhancing Morocco's role and prestige in the region and the world.

Congratulating Morocco on returning to the common home of the African Union (UA), the National Assembly Chairman hoped that Morocco would support the promotion of Vietnam's relations with the UA. On this occasion, the National Assembly Chairman sincerely thanked and appreciated Morocco's coordination and support for Vietnam at international forums.

The National Assembly Chairman pointed out that the two countries established diplomatic relations quite early (in 1961), and after a period of interruption, the political relations between the two countries are now developing well. The two sides have established a mechanism of Joint Committee and political consultation between the two countries. The National Assembly Chairman highly appreciated the effectiveness of this cooperation mechanism and suggested that the two sides actively coordinate to prepare carefully for the next meeting of the Joint Committee (scheduled to be held in Vietnam in 2018).

At the talks, both sides agreed that, in addition to good political cooperation, economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has not yet matched their potential (two-way trade only reached 190 million USD in 2016). In the coming time, both sides will promote economic and trade cooperation, bringing practical benefits to the business community and people of both countries.

Congratulating Vietnam on successfully hosting the APEC Summit Week, the President of the Moroccan House of Representatives stated that Vietnam is the gateway connecting Morocco with ASEAN. Morocco is ready to be the gateway for Vietnam to strengthen relations with Africa. From there, the two sides need to think together and build a cooperation strategy to take advantage of these advantages.

The National Assembly Chairman affirmed that Vietnam is always open, creating favorable conditions and a safe environment for foreign investors and enterprises to invest and do business stably in Vietnam. The Vietnamese National Assembly always supports strengthening multifaceted cooperation with Morocco through perfecting the legal system, creating a favorable legal framework for Moroccan enterprises to invest and do business in Vietnam.

To further develop the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries, the National Assembly Chairman suggested that in the coming time, the two sides increase the exchange of delegations, especially high-level delegations; continue to promote close coordination at international and regional forums, especially within the framework of the United Nations, the Francophone Community, the Non-Aligned Movement, etc. Along with that, the two sides promote connections between the business communities of the two countries, especially between business associations, in potential fields such as: trade, tourism, finance, renewable energy, etc., towards establishing a joint Business Council between the two countries.

According to National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, the two sides need to step up bilateral investment promotion activities, increase business delegations to meet, contact, and attend international seminars, forums, and fairs in each country, in areas where the two sides have great potential for cooperation such as agriculture, mining, construction materials, chemicals, textiles, footwear, food processing, etc. The two sides need to establish direct payment relations between commercial banks of the two countries and through Morocco's banking network in Africa to support business activities, serving as a payment bridge for Vietnamese enterprises doing business in Africa.

On this occasion, the National Assembly Chairman expressed his thanks to the Moroccan Government and House of Representatives for creating favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Morocco to stabilize their lives and integrate into the local society. The National Assembly Chairman emphasized that the Vietnamese community in Morocco will continue to be an important factor contributing to strengthening the friendly relations between the two peoples and promoting economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

At the talks, the National Assembly Chairman agreed with the Moroccan House Chairman that parliamentary cooperation is one of the effective cooperation channels in the Vietnam-Morocco relationship, thereby contributing significantly to promoting multifaceted cooperation, meeting the aspirations and interests of the people of the two countries. The National Assembly Chairman affirmed the Vietnamese National Assembly's desire to consolidate and strengthen bilateral relations as well as closely cooperate with the Moroccan House of Representatives in regional and international forums.

To further strengthen cooperation between the two legislative bodies in the coming time, the two sides agreed to increase the exchange of high-level delegations, committees and parliamentarians to enhance mutual understanding and trust as a basis for developing a deep, practical and effective relationship in all fields. Along with that, the two sides continue to promote close coordination mechanisms at multilateral forums such as the IPU, APF and other multilateral parliamentary organizations.

At the talks, the Moroccan House of Representatives President said that in foreign policy, both countries share common principles and values, which are the choice to protect and promote peace, security and common prosperity of the nation. Morocco highly appreciates and supports Vietnam's stance in resolving all disagreements through peaceful dialogue.

Regarding the situation in the East Sea, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan affirmed Vietnam's consistent policy of resolving sovereignty and territorial disputes by peaceful means, on the basis of respect for international law, the United Nations Charter, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

On this occasion, the National Assembly Chairman announced that the Moroccan-style village gate called "Bab Al-Maghariba" in Tan Linh, Ba Vi, Hanoi (a Moroccan-style scenic spot built between 1956 and 1960 by Moroccan soldiers who abandoned the French army to join the Viet Minh during the resistance war against France) has been preserved and is a work demonstrating solidarity and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries, recognizing the contributions of Moroccan soldiers who opposed the war and participated in the just resistance war of the Vietnamese people.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Habib El Malki respectfully invited National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan to soon pay an official visit to Morocco. The National Assembly Chairwoman respectfully thanked him and said she would arrange an official visit to the Kingdom of Morocco.

After the talks, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and House of Representatives Chairman Habib El Malki signed a cooperation agreement between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Moroccan House of Representatives; and met with the press to inform about the results of the talks.

According to the government electronic newspaper (chinhphu.vn)

Source: https://songoaivu.caobang.gov.vn/tin-tuc-su-kien/chu-tich-quoc-hoi-hoi-dam-voi-chu-tich-ha-vien-vuong-quoc-morocco-748346