Time is swell for a more productive relationship between Morocco and the Philippines.

The mutual dedication to positive bilateral developments between the two governments was recently affirmed in Makati City, in a reception that commemorated the accession of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.

Moroccan Ambassador Mohammed Rida El-Fassi underscored the significance of many milestones spanning 49 years of the country’s exchange with the Philippines, including the reopening of the Philippine Embassy in Rabat in 2020, which, he said, confirms Manila’s commitment to deepening its relationship with Morocco.

A dynamic fillip in the form of many high-level visits have, according to El-Fassi, “expanded cooperation to many unexplored fields, reinforcing the legal framework and giving more impetus to our political, economic and cultural cooperation, as well as interparliamentary relations.”

As the diplomatic ties celebrates a semi-centennial next year, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Middle East and Africa Mardomel Celo Melicor is optimistic about how Morocco can more effectively bridge Africa and the Asean.

Morocco was recently designated as a sectoral dialogue partner of Southeast Asia’s economic union. Effectively, the African nation will collaborate with the Asean on programs and projects in trade and investment, tourism, food security, halal industry, maritime cooperation, conflict resolution, and combatting transnational crime, until 2028.

The role of the Philippines is critical in this thrust as Morocco’s gateway to strengthen its ties with the Asean.

The embassy in Rabat can also act as a conduit for the Philippines’ continued economic presence in Africa.

Morocco has seen a number of revolutionary political, social and economic changes since King Mohammed VI assumed the throne in 1999, which had seen a deluge of developments in infrastructure and economy, as the country became more open to the rest of the world.