Phnom Penh (VNA) – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam met with Moroccan Prime Minister Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 15 on the sidelines of the 20th Francophonie Summit.
At the meeting, the Vietnamese leader expressed his pleasure at meeting the Moroccan PM as the two countries are celebrating the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations (March 27, 1961–2026). He congratulated El Mansouri on her recent appointment by King Mohammed VI as Morocco’s Prime Minister and the first woman to hold the post.
He affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to its traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Morocco, an important partner in North Africa. On the occasion, he conveyed his regards to King Mohammed VI and invited him to visit Vietnam soon.
The top leader highlighted the longstanding friendship between the two countries, rooted in their shared history of national liberation struggles. He also praised Morocco’s socio-economic development achievements under the leadership of King Mohammed VI and its growing standing in Africa, as well as its progress in economic development, investment attraction and international integration.
Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the positive progress in bilateral ties and agreed to make better use of each country's potential and strengths to achieve substantive advances in economic cooperation.
General Secretary and President Lam called on both sides to improve the legal framework and facilitate cooperation, particularly in economy, trade and investment, while making more effective use of existing agreements on investment protection and double taxation avoidance.
The leaders discussed ways to expand cooperation in promising areas, including agriculture, processing industries, energy, mining, banking and finance, tourism, education and training, and people-to-people exchanges.
General Secretary and President Lam suggested that Morocco continue to serve as an important bridge for Vietnam to expand ties with North Africa, Africa and the Arab world. He affirmed that Vietnam stands ready to act as a gateway for Morocco to strengthen its connections with ASEAN and Southeast Asian markets.
For her part, El Mansouri thanked General Secretary and President Lam for his goodwill towards Morocco and affirmed that her country highly values its friendship and cooperation with Vietnam. She also expressed her desire to further deepen bilateral ties in a substantive and effective manner.
She added that many Moroccan families of Vietnamese origin currently living in Morocco serve as an important bridge between the two nations.
The PM also conveyed King Mohammed VI's invitation to the Vietnamese leader to visit Morocco soon.
PM El Mansouri spoke highly of Vietnam's development and international integration achievements under the leadership of General Secretary and President Lam and other key Vietnamese leaders. She expressed her wish to strengthen economic connectivity and expand cooperation in areas of mutual potential and demand, including investment, banking and finance, mining and agriculture.
She agreed with the Vietnamese leader 's major orientations on developing cooperation programmes and concrete projects in areas where the two countries have needs, strengths and complementary advantages.
On regional and international issues of mutual concern, the two leaders agreed to enhance coordination at multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and Francophonie, and make active contributions to maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world./.
