Rabat: The Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Kao Kim Hourn, is currently leading a delegation on a working visit to Morocco from June 24 to 26. This visit comes at the invitation of Nasser Bourita, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, and marks Kao’s first trip to Morocco and Africa.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, ASEAN is composed of 10 Southeast Asian nations, including Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Brunei. The organization is a major regional power, ranking as the world’s fifth-largest economic entity and the second-largest in Asia. ASEAN represents a significant market, encompassing over 677 million consumers and boasting a GDP of $3,786 billion. The bloc maintains a stable annual growth rate of 5%, and its unified market was established with an agreement signed on December 31, 2015.

Morocco joined ASEAN’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in 2016 and recently achieved the status of Sectoral Dialogue Partner in September 2023. This status paves the way for long-term, multidimensional cooperation between Morocco and ASEAN, focusing on substantial, concrete, and achievable projects.

Morocco has also pledged to share its expertise with ASEAN to support its priorities across political-security, economic, and socio-cultural domains. Additionally, Morocco has bolstered its involvement with other Southeast Asian regional bodies, such as gaining partner status with the Mekong River Commission in 2017, observer status within the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly in 2020, and becoming an ‘Associate Member’ of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization in 2021.