A seminar was held recently in Casablanca city of Morocco, aiming to enhance understanding and cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Morocco as well as Africa.

Addressing the event, Ambassador Dang Thi Thu Ha, Chairwoman of the ASEAN Committee in Morocco, briefed participants on the formation and development of ASEAN.

After more than 55 years of development, ASEAN has built and maintained a peaceful and stable regional environment, with increasingly intensive cooperation and connectivity on three pillars, namely politics-security, economy and socio-culture, and improving position and prestige, she said, adding that the association’s external relations have also been expanded.

The diplomat affirmed that the ASEAN Committee in Morocco will continue to act as a bridge and work closely with relevant agencies of the parties, contributing to the strong development of multi-faceted cooperation between Morocco and ASEAN in the future.

Mohamed Jawhar Hassan, former Chairman of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia, highlighted that ASEAN countries have succeeded in building an effective regional organisation.

Yayan Ganda Hayat Mulyana, head of the Foreign Policy Strategy Agency under Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presented the economic model of ASEAN and its prospects for the future.

The competitiveness of ASEAN countries is being consolidated with their policy integration in terms of consumer protection, copyright, infrastructure, taxes and e-commerce, he added.

Participants at the seminar expressed their appreciation for the success of the ASEAN regional cooperation model. They said that African countries can learn a lot from the model, contributing to ensuring the stability of the region as well as generating better welfare for the people./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency