Morocco and Malaysia will celebrate next year the sixtieth anniversary of building their diplomatic relations, and in recent years, the two countries have taken several steps towards opening more doors of cooperation between them, including visas, education, investment opportunities, and others, but the field of economic cooperation, specifically in the industrial part of it, is still expected that both countries to take more steps forward.
In this exclusive interview, we had with the Ambassador of Malaysia to the Kingdom of Morocco, Astana Abdelaziz, the latter highlights the common denominators between the two countries, the development of their economies in recent years, and the specific areas in which they operate, such as the aviation, automobile, and clean energy industries, that can turn them into strong partners, in light of the cultural affinity between them, which brings the geographical distances closer.
Moroccan-Malaysian relations go back to 1963, which means that the two countries are preparing to celebrate the 60th anniversary of these relations next year. How do you evaluate the relations between Rabat and Kuala Lumpur after all this time?
The relations between Malaysia and Morocco go back to the days of Ibn Battuta and perhaps before that, when the intrepid Moroccan explorer, researcher, and jurist traveled to Southeast Asia and lived life in the tropics, experiencing wonders that were unknown to him.
Calculations made at the height of the Malacca Empire, which was the center of trade in Southeast Asia, being the crossroads between China, India, and Arab lands, also speak of the arrival of merchant boats from Morocco to the busy port of Malacca.
These relations have continued over the centuries and decades. In 1963, Morocco and Malaysia officially established diplomatic relations and the Embassy of Malaysia in Rabat was established in 1966 at the Chargé d’Affairs level and was later promoted through ambassadors in 1989. On the other hand, the Embassy of Morocco in Kuala Lumpur was established in 1988.
In 1969, following the burning of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Rabat hosted the historical Summit which led to the formation of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The Malaysian Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj was elected its first Secretary-General.
At the beginning of the year 2000, when Malaysia built its new administrative capital Putrajaya, the-then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed decided that a majestic Moroccan Pavilion should form part of the entire complex of the city, to remind Malaysians of the greatness achieved at al-Andalus, when the focus was on scholarship and excellence in conduct and service.
His Majesty King Mohamed VI visited Malaysia twice in 2003; the first was in February 2003 in conjunction with the 13th NAM Summit while the second time was in October 2003, to attend the 10th OIC Summit.
In fact, the second visit was perceived as a homage by His Majesty to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, who had earlier announced that he would step down as Prime Minister following the successful hosting of the OIC Summit. Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed led Malaysia for 21 years, during which Malaysia progressed from a country dependent on agriculture and primary commodities into becoming an export-driven economy spurred by high technology, knowledge-based and capital-intensive industries.
Other than His Majesty's visits, there has been an increasing number of exchanges of high-level visits between the two countries over the years. The most recent high-level visit at the level of Head of Government was by H.E. Saad Eddine El Othmani, the former Head of Government of Morocco, in conjunction with the 13th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) held in Kuching, Sarawak.
There has also been a steady flow of visits from Malaysia to Morocco and vice versa at the Ministerial and senior officials levels, many in conjunction with meetings, conferences, and workshops organized by various organizations.
These and other episodes in various forums and over time bear witness to the fundamental close ties shared between our two kingdoms and peoples, and the respect we hold for each other.
We are convinced that relations between the two brotherly countries will continue to grow as both countries are on the same path of development and pursuing the same trajectory of growth, with a view to achieving peace and prosperity as well as progress, harmony, and happiness.
A few days ago, King Mohammed VI sent a congratulatory message to the King of Malaysia, Sultan Tunku Abdullah Sultan Ahmed Shah, on the occasion of Independence Day, in which he expressed the Kingdom's aspiration for more fruitful work and cooperation. Can this be considered a starting point for deeper relations between the two countries?
Malaysia is particularly keen to move forward in economic cooperation with Morocco as there is great potential for both sides to further benefit from our trade and investment opportunities. The scope of bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and Morocco in recent years has mainly focused on trade, education, technical programs, capacity building, and tourism. however, new areas of cooperation should be initiated, taking into account the increasing development of the economic sector in our two countries.
Malaysian companies certainly welcome the opportunity to expand their operations in Morocco and in partnership with Morocco, penetrate the African market, especially in the North African and sub-Saharan regions. Malaysia also welcomes Moroccan investments in Malaysia, including the green energy sector, IT and governance, electric vehicles as well as traditional sectors such as the chemicals, electrical, electronic, machinery and equipment manufacturing, and halal-related manufacturing sectors.
Malaysia notes that the Government of Morocco has begun to develop new economic and industrial zones on its territory, and this is certainly an area in which Malaysia can share its experience in creating 5 Corridors of Economic Growth to further develop the strategic investment zones. From a country dependent on agriculture and primary commodities, Malaysia has today become an export-driven economy spurred by high technology, knowledge-based and capital-intensive industries.
For its part, Morocco is slowly but surely becoming an attractive education destination for Malaysians to further their education in Arabic Language and Islamic Studies. Given this growing interest, it is our hope that Morocco could consider providing more places for Malaysian students, including at the post-graduate level.
In 2015, the Moroccan ambassador to Malaysia estimated the volume of trade exchange between the two countries at between $200 and $300 million. How far have the economic relations between the two countries reached? And where exactly is its strength?
Malaysia is pleased to note that total trade between both countries has continued to improve since 2012, albeit still below its potential. Malaysia remains committed to further enhancing the two-way trade between our two countries.
Malaysia looks forward to having a bigger presence in the African market as an upcoming growth area for Malaysian palm oil. Malaysian palm oil has been scientifically proven to be a high-quality and environmentally sustainable production, as well as a cheap and easy source of much-needed nourishment within growing families.
Malaysia hopes that Morocco could be our partner to penetrate the African market while at the same time providing the solution to Morocco’s need for alternative edible oils to support its growing needs.
Another area of potential collaboration between the two countries is in the provision of halal goods and services for the Moroccan market as well as in Africa. Malaysia’s Halal brand is recognized as the gold standard worldwide.
Both Malaysia and Morocco have existing industries in the aerospace sector. We could do well to work together to mutually strengthen this area of interest.
Regarding Morocco’s focus on vocational education and training, the two countries can benefit from the exchange programs for trainers and teachers. Malaysia will also continue to share its development experience with Morocco and encourages the Government of Rabat to send more of its officials to participate in the various training courses offered under the Malaysia Technical Cooperation Program (MTCP).
Malaysia also provides an excellent destination for Moroccan students to pursue higher education. Besides offering quality education in English, it is comparatively cheaper to study in Malaysia than in many other countries in the world. Malaysia offers various types of scholarships to foreign students who wish to pursue studies in Malaysia, including the Malaysia Technical Cooperation Program (MTCP); the Malaysian International Scholarship (MIS) program, and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) scholarships. Malaysia welcomes more applications from Morocco in this regard.
Malaysia also offers many exciting and excellent tourist destinations to foreign tourists. Among the tourism products offered include eco-tourism and medical tourism.
In 2017, the two countries signed an agreement on the mutual partial abolition of the visa between them, in order to develop bilateral relations, including encouraging investments, economic, cultural and tourism activities. Has this step achieved the desired development?
Despite the geographical distance between the two countries, I am pleased to note that we are not far apart in our minds and awareness of each other. The game changer was the abolition of the visa requirement for Malaysians to enter Morocco in December 2017.
Within a year, the statistics of Malaysian tourists visiting Morocco recorded a 50% increase in 2018, from 5,557 in 2017. The trend continues in 2019. At the same time, I note with much pleasure that the number of Moroccan tourists visiting Malaysia increased by a whopping 600% in 2018, up from 1,343 arrivals in 2017. The figures for 2019 continued to show a positive trend.
The challenge for the post-pandemic era is to harness the benefits of these people-to-people contacts and channel them into substantive and tangible cooperation, particularly in trade and investment. Several projects and initiatives in this regard are already in the pipeline, and I am hopeful that they will materialize in the coming months and years.
Morocco has become a prominent industrial platform in Africa and the Arab region. Are Malaysian companies considering investing in the Kingdom of Morocco, similar to other Asian countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea?
Malaysia has emerged as one of the most globalized economies in the world. We embarked on an economic transformation program in the early 1980s, where we moved from an agricultural and commodity-based economy to an industrial one.
In the last decade, Malaysia has moved into a second phase, focusing on high technology and highly skilled workers - helping us move our economy up the value chain, and on towards high-income status.
Among the areas where both countries demonstrate strength and expertise and yet would do well to collaborate together would be the areas of clean energy as well as the automotive sector.
Malaysia is the second largest producer of solar cells worldwide, and we possess expertise in the entire ecosystem from the production to the final deployment of the cells. We believe Morocco, with its focus on green energy particularly in this era of accelerated climate change, would benefit from the utilization of such solar cells in its Noor plants, and therefore stands to gain from both countries working together in this area.
Another area of potential collaboration between the two countries is in the field of electric vehicles, which presents a new growth area. Both countries already possess a vibrant automotive sector, with Malaysia manufacturing its own marques of cars. The next logical step could be for the two countries to collaborate on this new growth area, to mutual benefit.
