ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn and Morocco’s newly appointed ambassador to the regional organization, Ridwan Houssaini, made the commitment Monday in Jakarta during the Moroccan diplomat’s presentation of his credentials at the ASEAN headquarters.
Kao Kim Hourn welcomed the positive momentum in relations between ASEAN and Morocco, highlighting King Mohammed VI’s commitment to strengthening the Kingdom’s ties with Southeast Asia.
He expressed his readiness to work with Morocco to deepen the sectoral dialogue partnership and translate its potential into concrete cooperation. He also stressed the importance of continuing to implement the ASEAN-Morocco Practical Areas of Cooperation for 2024-2028.
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The ASEAN secretary-general further called for greater Moroccan engagement with the organization’s various sectoral bodies, with the aim of turning the existing institutional framework into concrete initiatives that benefit both sides.
For his part, Houssaini reaffirmed Morocco’s desire, in line with the directives of King Mohammed VI, to give fresh impetus to the partnership and move toward a more results-oriented model of cooperation.
The Moroccan ambassador identified several priority areas, including trade and investment, food security, sustainable agriculture, fertilizers, renewable energy, connectivity, the digital economy, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.
Houssaini also highlighted Morocco’s potential role as a bridge between Southeast Asia and Africa, drawing on its geographical position, infrastructure and deep-rooted ties with the African continent. In this regard, he pointed to opportunities for ASEAN-Morocco-Africa trilateral cooperation in trade, investment and development.
The discussions also revealed shared positions on several principles, including a commitment to dialogue, moderation, respect for national sovereignty and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
Monday’s meeting builds on several years of growing institutional ties. Morocco joined the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in 2016 and became the organization’s first North African Sectoral Dialogue Partner in September 2023.
The two sides subsequently adopted the ASEAN-Morocco Practical Areas of Cooperation for 2024-2028, designed to give their partnership a more operational dimension.
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The focus is now shifting toward implementation. After gradually strengthening the institutional foundations of their relationship, Morocco and ASEAN are seeking to accelerate cooperation on the ground by expanding exchanges and making greater use of complementarities linking Southeast Asia, Morocco and Africa.
Founded in 1967, ASEAN comprises 11 Southeast Asian countries and represents a market of more than 680 million consumers. With a combined GDP of around $4 trillion in 2024, the bloc is one of the major engines of global economic growth.
The push to deepen the partnership also comes as Morocco strengthens its diplomatic network across Southeast Asia. Seven ASEAN member states currently maintain diplomatic missions in Morocco, providing an additional platform for expanding political, economic and people-to-people ties.
