The new Iranian Ambassador to The Gambia, His Excellency Saeid Zare, yesterday paid a courtesy call on the offices of The Point Newspaper in Bakau.
Speaking during the visit the Iranian envoy said that the aim of his visit is to familiarise himself with the paper with a view to promoting good relations.
According to him, The Gambia and Iran have already established cordial relations as exemplified by the visit of both presidents to each other's countries. The Iranian diplomat expressed his country's desire to co-operate with The Gambia in the areas of fisheries, agriculture, mining and crude oil exploration.
He also told The Point that his country would also look into areas of constructing a car factory as they have already done in neighboring Senegal which is about to be inaugurated. "We are also looking at the possibility of constructing a mango factory in The Gambia so as to avoid the waste of mangoes," he said. Ambassador Saeid also disclosed that in the near future, an Iranian delegation would visit The Gambia to look into other potential areas of economic activity that might be suitable for Iran to invest in. The Gambia, he said, has the manpower and land resource that could be exploited for the betterment of its citizens.
The head of the Iranian mission in the country cited the recent donation of a fishing trawler to The Gambia as testimony to their willingness to help The Gambia.
In his turn the Managing Editor of The Point, Pap Saine, assured Ambassador Saeid of the paper's full support at all times.