Morocco has been granted the status of Sectoral Dialogue Partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the country's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The press release added that Morocco was the first North African country to receive this status, which "consolidates its position as a privileged interlocutor of this geopolitical and economic grouping of great importance."
According to the ministry, the new status recognizes the North African nation as a locus of stability in the region and marks the progression of Morocco's cooperation with South-East Asia.
"This status [...] constitutes a recognition by this grouping of the role of Morocco, as a hub of stability in Africa and the Arab world and reflects the momentum of partnerships between Morocco and the countries of South East Asia," the statement read.
The preliminary agreement to extend the status to Morocco was first revealed during the 56th meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers in July 2023. At the time, the kingdom noted that the partnership would be based on a win-win approach in the spirit of South-South cooperation.
Morocco joined the ASEAN Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 2016. In 2017 and 2022, Rabat signed two memoranda of understanding with the Mekong River Commission (MRC), which includes Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, South Africa became the first sub-Saharan African country to join the ASEAN Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 2020. In May this year, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa discussed Pretoria's application for the Sectoral Dialogue Partner status with the Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong.
At present, six other countries enjoy Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN: Switzerland, Norway, Turkey, Pakistan, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.