HÀ NỘI – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh received Moroccan Secretary of State to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mounia Boucetta on Tuesday. 
Boucetta is visiting Việt Nam to co-chair the fourth meeting of the Việt Nam - Morocco Joint Committee and the fifth political consultation between the two foreign ministries. 
Hailing the development of bilateral cooperation in all fields, Minh praised Morocco’s efforts to deepen relations with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with a view to becoming its Sectoral Dialogue Partner. He said the two countries should increase the exchange of delegations at all levels. 
The two officials stressed the need to take practical measures to foster trade and investment ties, increase the exchange of business delegations to explore each other’s markets, and develop economic ties with other African countries. 
Việt Nam welcomed Morocco to open its honorary consulate in HCM City in a bid to boost economic and trade cooperation with Việt Nam’s southern provinces and cities. 
The two sides agreed to grant more scholarships to their students, increase the exchange of researchers, hold more academic workshops and sign agreements between research institutions. 
Alongside this, the two countries are set to accelerate negotiations and sign cooperation deals in other fields such as labour, finance-banking, tourism, aviation, and renewable energy. 
At the meeting, Minh also lauded the signing of the memorandum of understanding on cooperation between Việt Nam’s Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs and Morocco’s Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs and the establishment of the Việt Nam - Morocco Friendship Association. 
He also suggested stronger cooperation between two countries’ localities like Nha Trang-Agadir, HCM City-Casablanca, and Đà Nẵng-Tangier.
During the political consultation, the two sides also discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern. — VNS