Morocco and ASEAN Nations Strengthen Ties at Regional Forum

Rabat – Mohammed V University’s Faculty of Letters & Human Sciences opened its doors this evening to Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ambassadors and representatives in Rabat, who took part in a regional forum. The event showcased the growing diplomatic relations between the ASEAN countries and Morocco, emphasizing the pillars of cooperation in economy, politics and culture.

In the opening speech, Mohammed Rhachi, president of Mohammed V University, said that through such initiatives, Morocco is bridging Africa and Asia, forming an academic and diplomatic foundation upon which Morocco can build strong partnerships.

The president stated that this forum is more than a discussion for networking; it is indeed a call to action for the Moroccan academic community to join in future collaborations.

He shared that the event is “an invitation for our researchers to join projects on sustainability, digital humanities and social science, which invites Moroccan students to look towards Asian universities for exchange and for Morocco to welcome Asian students to experience the richness of moroccan culture.”

The president added: “For the scholars to collaborate in creating a new and shared narrative of partnership, as it is the core mission of the university.”

The event brought together diplomatic leaders of ASEAN including Fabio Chinda, Ambassador of Thailand in Morocco and chair of the ASEAN Committee in Rabat (ACR); Leslie J. Baja, Ambassador of the Philippines; Le Kim Quy, Ambassador of Vietnam; dato’ Shahabudeen Adam Shah, Ambassador of Malaysia; Nur Hafizah Al-Islam bint Awang Mahani, Chargée d’Affaires (CDA) of Brunei Darussalam; and Sutar Windargo, CDA of Indonesia. They joined moroccan hosts President Rhachi as well as Laila Mounir, the acting Dean of the Faculty of Letters & Human Sciences.

A close collaboration

In an interview wiht Morocco World News (MWN), the Ambassador of Thailand in Morocco and ASEAN Committee Chair Fabio Chinda stated that Morocco and ASEAN countries ar