Speaker of House of Representatives and Speaker of National Assembly of Vietnam Commend Cooperation between the Two Countries

Speaker of House of Representatives Habib El Malki held talks on Wednesday, July 7, 2021, via videoconference, with Speaker of the National Assembly of Vietnam Vuong Dinh Huê.

The meeting was an occasion on which both sides expressed their satisfaction with the evolution of the friendship and cooperation relations linking the two countries and their legislative institutions. The Speakers stressed the importance of parliamentary diplomacy in moving bilateral relations towards further complementarity and closeness. The two sides also agreed on intensifying visits of parliamentary delegations, coordinating in international parliamentary fora, supporting cooperation agreements between the two countries. They also convened to celebrate jointly the 60^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between them.

On this occasion, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Vietnam stated that his country attaches great importance to its relations with the Kingdom of Morocco, welcoming the historic relations between the two countries and expressing gratitude to the Moroccan people who participated alongside the Vietnamese people in their struggle for independence. In this respect, he stated, "We have a lot in common, which is a pillar to strengthen the cooperation between the two countries."

Mr. Vuong Dinh Huê stressed that Morocco is a gateway to Africa, just as Vietnam is a gateway to the Southeast Asian region. He called for the advancing exchange in economy, experiences, and expertise, reinforcing relations between the banks of the two countries, encouraging trade and investment, and further mutual support and dialogue on various issues of common interest.

He also explained that the approval of the accession of the House of Representatives as an observer member to the bodies of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (AIPA) last year represents a recognition of Morocco's efforts to consolidate peace, stability, and security at the regional and international levels.

For his part, the Speaker of the House of Representatives referred to the joint strive of the Moroccan and Vietnamese peoples for freedom. In this respect, he noted that the "Gate of Morocco," built by Moroccan soldiers in a village north of the capital Hanoi after participating in the Vietnam War, proves the strong historical and human bonds between the two countries.

Mr. El Malki also noted that the two countries have multiple great potentials they should utilize to strengthen economic and trade exchanges, referring in particular to Vietnam's industrial development and Morocco's leadership in agriculture and renewable energy.

The Speaker also noted that the conclusion of a memorandum of cooperation between the two legislative institutions in 2017 gave a new dynamism to parliamentary cooperation and reinforced the bonds of rapprochement and solidarity between them. In the same respect, he lauded the support of the National Assembly of Vietnam to accept the accession of the House of Representatives as an observer member in the organs of the AIPA.