press
statement by his excellency mr. adama barrow, president of the republic of the
gambia on the visit of his excellency mr. recep tayyip erdogan president of the
republic of turkey
date:
27th january 2020 venue: state house, banjul
Your
Excellency, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey
Honourable
Cabinet members
Distinguished
visiting guests
Representatives
of the Media
Ladies
and Gentlemen
Good
afternoon / good evening
On
behalf of the Government and People of The Gambia, I am pleased to welcome Your
Excellency, Mr. Erdogan and Madam Erdogan to The Gambia, the smiling coast of
West Africa.
I
will seize this opportunity to thank Your Excellency for the goodwill,
friendship and strong ties of cooperation between Turkey and The Gambia. This
visit is to strengthen these relations further for the mutual benefit of our
peoples.
Your
Excellency,
Over
the years, cooperation has been established, and support from Turkey received
in vital sectors of our economy. The
various agreements signed between the two countries, especially during my last
visit to Ankara, amply demonstrate the high-level cooperation between our two
countries.
Your
government has demonstrated strong support to our transitional programme, with
military support to the tune of $17 million for a period of five years which is
ongoing.
My
government also gains your support to build the capacity of our security forces
by training 500 officers on peacekeeping. Your Excellency, we continue to
appreciate the pledges made during my visit to build a children’s hospital and
offices for the Parliamentarians.
Turkey’s
instrumental role in supporting The Gambia to host the OIC Summit, and sharing
the Turkish experience in hosting such a world event is highly
appreciated. We look forward to the continued
partnership with Turkey as we prepare for the Summit.
Furthermore,
the recent establishment of the office of the Turkish Agency for International
Development (TIKA) in The Gambia ensures an effective way of harnessing and
strengthening our cooperation.
As
evident with the formation of the Joint Economic Commission between our two
countries, trade and investment matters hold a flagship position within our
cooperation and this is vital for the private sectors of both countries.
Through
these partnerships, we have witnessed the commencement of the Banjul-Istanbul
route with Turkish Airlines, thus opening up new frontiers in business between
our two countries.
My
Government is ready to enhance and explore economic engagements with Turkey,
through foreign direct investment.
Also,
strong people-to-people ties continue to underpin the many facets of the
excellent bilateral relations between The Gambia and Turkey.
Your
Excellency,
I
will conclude by reiterating that your visit will further strengthen our bilateral
cooperation and mutual interest to promote socio-economic development of our
people.
I
thank you for your kind attention.
