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The Director General of Bureau IV (African Affairs) of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Mr. Wang Heming recently concluded a working visit to The Gambia accompanied by his delegation. As part of the visit, Mr Heming met with the Permanent Secretary I of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Ambassador Lang Yabou. In receiving the delegation at his Office, Ambassador Yabou welcomed them to The Gambia and the Ministry on behalf of His Excellency, Dr. Mamadou Tangara, Minister of Foreign Affairs. PS Yabou in his opening statement pointed out that, “The Gambia and the People’s Republic of China continue to build people to people ties with The Gambia hosting Chinese nationals and businesses that contribute to employment, skills-transfer and domestic revenue mobilization.” He continued by adding that the visit by Director Wang would further solidifies the relationship between China and The Gambia which is determined by mutual trust through political dialogue and win-win outcomes in economic cooperation, communication and social connections. The Social connections through civil communications such as the People to People exchanges could be arguably regarded as one of the most attractive exchanges in international relations, the value of which, has been recognized in an increasing world politics. Cognizant of this fact, people-to-people exchanges returned to a normal state and became an important driving force in stabilizing and developing healthy bilateral relations between The Gambia and China with a huge number of Gambians and Chinese exchanging visits and doing business together. Such exchanges have enhanced mutual understanding and trust between our two peoples from different civilizations and cultivated long-term friendships through sincere and candid dialogues resulting in positive experiences and insights in a broad sense. The continuous dispatch of the medical team to The Gambia for 7 consecutive batches under the existing protocol, reaffirmed the degree of social connection that has been achieved through People-to-People Exchanges. Similarly, the strong bond of our relationship manifest itself in the High-Level Visits, with His Excellency President Adama Barrow and many Gambian Ministers and Senior Official’s visits to China and the visits to The Gambia by His Excellency Foreign Minister, Wang Yi as well as, the Special Representative of His Excellency President XI, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Mr. Zheng Jianbang, to attend the 15th OIC Islamic Summit in Banjul from 4th -5th May 2024. ‘‘Director General WANG, on behalf of the Government of His Excellency, President Adama Barrow, I want to once again reassure the Government and People of China of The Gambia’s commitment to One China Policy.  This is a policy that we are committed to and The Gambia will continue to provide its support to China’’ posited Ambassador Yabou. In addition, PS Yabou acknowledged China’s leadership and support to members of the Global South and thanked the Government and People of China for the support and partnership with The Gambia especially in the areas of health, education, infrastructure, agriculture, etc. Permanent Secretary Yabou also conveys appreciation to the staff of the Chinese Embassy in Banjul and The Gambia Embassy in Beijing for their roles in strengthening China-Gambia relations and pointed out that, The Gambia will continue to work closely with the government of the People’s Republic of China to further strengthen the bilateral ties and multilateral engagements between the two countries. Finally, Ambassador Yabou wished Director Wang a successful stay in The Gambia and wished the Government and People of China the best as they prepare to host the FOCAC Summit which The Gambia will participate in.

The maiden edition of West African Ambassadors’ Cultural Day was held on July 27th, at the gardens of the Embassy of the Republic of The Gambia in Brussels, Belgium. High-level dignitaries, including several African Ambassadors in Belgium and other guests, attended the event. The culturally focused event featured traditional musical performances by musical groups from Burkina Faso and Guinea Bissau, followed by a rendition of cultural music from all West African countries and displays of West African dishes. In welcoming the guests to the event, Ambassador Pa Musa Jobarteh dwelt on the significance of the event in bringing together the members of the West African Community under one roof to display shared history and culture as well as to promote unity. He also mentioned that “through this cultural day, we hope to display our rich heritage and traditions, unity, strength, and the shared aspirations of our region and peoples. Each culture represented here shall showcase its uniqueness tied to our collective identity. It is my strong belief that it is through events like this that we can strengthen our bonds and deepen our mutual understanding”. H.E. Leopold Bonkoungou, Ambassador of the Republic of Burkina Faso, who is the current rotating Chair of the West African Ambassadors in Belgium applauded the Gambia Embassy for successfully hosting the maiden event. The Ambassador noted that “it was important to find channels to strengthen the spirit of solidarity among us, to share convivial moments, and to make people discover the cultural richness, through its different facets, the cultural richness of our countries that history and geography unite”.

H.E. Pa Musa Jobarteh, the Ambassador of the Republic of The Gambia to the Kingdom of Belgium and Permanent Representative to the European Union with concurrent accreditation to the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia on Tuesday, 23rd July 2024 presented his Letters of Credence to the President of the Slovak Republic, His Excellency Peter Pellegrini, as the Ambassador of the Republic of The Gambia to the Slovak Republic at a ceremony held in the Presidential Palace in Bratislava. Ambassador Jobarteh conveyed fraternal greetings from His Excellency President Adama Barrow to the President, the Government and the people of the Slovak Republic. He underscored his willingness to work with the Government of the Slovak Republic to further strengthen the existing bilateral ties between the two countries. His Excellency, President Peter Pellegrini welcomed Ambassador Jobarteh to the Slovak Republic and congratulated him on his appointment as the Ambassador of the Republic of The Gambia. He expressed interest in the Government of the Slovak Republic supporting The Gambia through development cooperation in agriculture, the details of which are to be discussed with the Gambian authorities.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad is pleased to announce the resumption of diplomatic ties between the Republic of The Gambia and the Islamic Republic of Iran on July 29th 2024. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mamadou Tangara met with his counterpart, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Bagheri in Tehran, Iran. The two signed the Communiqué on the resumption of diplomatic relations between The Gambia and Iran. The two Ministers agreed to build friendly bilateral ties between the two countries based on mutual respect, equality and common interests. This development comes after a series of high-level engagements between the representatives of the two countries.

The International Organization for Migration, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Network on Migration in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, hosted the Interregional Dialogue on the Reviews of the Global Compact for Migration for Interstate Consultation Mechanisms on Migration in Africa and the Americas on 23rd and 24th July 2024. The two-day workshop aimed to enhance cooperation between Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean regions on migration issues, with a focus on labour mobility and the protection of migrant workers. This initiative aims to improve information sharing, review the progress of the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) and explore collaboration opportunities at the global, regional and cross-regional levels. In the opening remarks, the representative from the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR), Ms. Yvonne Masara said, “ we recognize the Government of The Gambia for its dedication and commitment to the GCM and for creating a comprehensive framework which will aim to address the challenges, opportunities and issues surrounding migration”. She also emphasized the importance of addressing human rights compliance issues in migration governance. Representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Permanent Secretary I, Ambassador Lang Yabou, welcomed the guests from various countries to The Gambia and reaffirmed the government’s commitment, cooperation and solidarity in developing an effective global migration governance framework. He stated that The Gambia is one of the Global Champions of the Global Compact on Migration because like many other countries, is deeply affected by migration. Therefore, “It is important to have a wholesome approach to manage migration effectively.” he continued. Ambassador Yabou encouraged all stakeholders at all levels to continue to engage in constructive dialogue to strengthen collective efforts which will promote safe, orderly and regular migration as well as protect the rights of migrants and harness the potential of migration for sustainable development. The event was attended by various officials from across the international community and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other institutions of government.

Hon. Ummy Mwalimu (MP), Minister for Health of the United Republic of Tanzania and her delegation landed in The Gambia on Friday, July 12, 2024, as the Special Envoy of Her Excellency Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania. Hon. Mwalimu was received by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Dr. Mamadou Tangara at the Banjul International Airport. The two discussed pertinent bilateral matters between the two countries and proceeded to meet His Excellency President Adama Barrow to deliver the message from Her Excellency Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan. President Barrow buttressed the importance of the relationship between The Gambia and Tanzania and recognized the great strides being made by Tanzania under the leadership of President Suluhu Hassan. Hon. Mwalimu thanked President Barrow for granting audience to her and her team and expressed that Tanzania looks forward to continued cooperation with The Gambia.