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Rabat — Six Southeast Asian embassies to Morocco hosted today the country’s first ASEAN Bazaar and Cultural Festival in Rabat, marking a milestone in cultural exchange between the regions.
The Royal Thai Embassy led the initiative alongside embassies from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam, running from August 9 to 11.
The event celebrates ASEAN’s 58th anniversary and promotes the organization’s partnership with Morocco. ASEAN, which stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, formed in 1967 to strengthen political, economic, and social ties across the region.
The event provides a platform for visitors to enjoy cultural performances from participating countries and sample authentic Southeast Asian food and drinks at affordable prices.
The festival aims to introduce Moroccan audiences to ASEAN cultures and display traditional products from member countries.
“This is the first time ASEAN embassies jointly organize such an event in Morocco,” organizers said in a press release. The festival also features the growing sectoral dialogue partnership between ASEAN and Morocco.
ASEAN includes ten member countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The organization works to promote cooperation across Southeast Asia.
Thailand’s Ambassador to Morocco, Fabio Chinda, expressed his appreciation for Moroccan-Thai relations during today’s event inauguration.
“Today we were here to celebrate the 58th anniversary of the ASEAN foundation, and we have the flag raising ceremony, which we do every year,” Chinda said in an interview with Morocco World News (MWN).
The ceremony was part of the first-ever ASEAN Bazaar and Cultural Festival held in Morocco, featuring cultural performances and authentic cuisine from Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
A unique cultural bridge
The ambassador stressed the significance of these growing ties, stating, “This marks the symbol of friendship between Thailand and Morocco, hoping this friendship will last long and stable.”
For her part, the ambassador’s wife Maneevarong Chinda shared her excitement about Morocco’s first-ever ASEAN Bazaar and Cultural Festival, taking place at the Thai Embassy through August 11.
“This is the first time we’ve organized an ASEAN Cultural Food Festival here in Rabat,” she told MWN.
She noted how six ASEAN countries have come together to feature their authentic cuisine and traditional products.
“I hope everyone can join and enjoy today — maybe next year we can organize it again!” said Manuong, expressing optimism for making this cultural bridge an annual tradition.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Ambassador to Morocco, Dato’ Shahabudeen Adam Shah, expressed enthusiasm for growing Morocco-ASEAN partnerships during today’s inauguration.
“We are proud to be here and we are proud to be having very close cordial bilateral relation with the Kingdom of Morocco,” he said in an interview with MWN.
The diplomat spoke about Morocco’s status as an ASEAN sectoral dialogue partner since 2023, noting that “there are a lot of elements of cooperation between Morocco and ASEAN.”
Speaking of growing bilateral relations with Morocco, he said, “We are really looking forward to further enhancing our cooperation not only bilaterally between Malaysia and Morocco but also between ASEAN and Morocco in the future.”
Vietnam’s Ambassador to Morocco, Le Kim Quy, reflected, for her part, on three decades of her country’s ASEAN membership during today’s flag-raising ceremony at the inauguration ceremony.
“This year, Vietnam celebrates the 30th anniversary of its accession to ASEAN,” the ambassador told MWN.
The event represents a significant cultural bridge between Southeast Asia and the North African country, giving Moroccans their first taste of a comprehensive ASEAN cultural experience.
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