King
Salma Humanitarian Aid & Relief Centre of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Tuesday has given more than 50 tonnes of dates to The Gambia Government ahead
of the holy month of Ramadan.
The
presentation ceremony was held at The Gambia Ports Authority, where officials
of the Foreign Affairs Ministry took delivery of the donated dates on behalf of
The Gambia government.
Speaking
at the ceremony, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and
Gambians Aboard, Ousainou Darboe, said the Government of The Gambia was very
appreciative of the gift because it was timely as the month of Ramadan is
approaching.
Minister
Darboe also said the gesture shows how much the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia thinks
of The Gambia, which was why the gift was “very significantly symbolic” as it
is a tradition in Islam for the consumption of dates immediately before
breaking fast.
“We
all know the value of dates, dating way back to our great prophet (PBUH), and
scientifically it has been said that there is lot of nutritional.”
Abdou
Rahman Altaibi, Charge Affairs at the Saudi Embassy in Senegal, said the
gesture indicated the relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and The
Gambia, saying they would continue to strengthen the bilateral relations.
He
said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would always assist the Muslim Ummah,
especially the Gambian people, as they have a special consideration for them.
