State
House, Banjul, March 10, 2020 - Gambian
and Senegalese Experts and Ministers have started the second Presidential
Council Meeting between their two governments in the Senegalese capital of
Dakar, from the 10th – 12th March 2020.
The Presidential Council Meeting will be preceded
by the Experts Meeting, which will work in sub-committees to discuss Defense
and Security, Justice and Consular Affairs, Finance, Transport and Trade,
Higher Education, Tourism, Culture, Health, Fisheries, Agriculture and Energy.
The experts are expected to present a draft
report to the Ministerial Session for review before final adaptation during the
Presidential Council session on Thursday, March 12, 2020.
On the final day of the meeting, the two Heads
of State, their Excellencies, Adama Barrow and Macky Sall will join the experts
and ministers for the Presidential Council Meeting to conclude on the draft
reports and roadmaps for the various agreements.
Meanwhile, President Barrow will leave Banjul
on the 11th March 2020 for Dakar.
Background
In
March 2017, President Adama Barrow undertook a state visit to the Republic of
Senegal to renew The Gambia Government’s commitment to consolidating the
relationship between the Republics of The Gambia and Senegal. During the visit, he described his relationship
with Senegalese President, H.E Macky Sall as twins, whose countries are bound
by history.
President Barrow called for a special
fraternal relation to reflect all official interactions between the two
countries. As a result of the shared
history and geographical ties, the two Heads of State agreed to the initiation
of a bi-annual Presidential Council Meeting, which will allow their experts,
technicians and policymakers to work closely to review their bilateral
cooperation and forge new ties.
In
March 2018, the first Presidential Council meeting between The Gambia and
Senegal took place in Banjul. It was jointly officiated by their Excellencies,
Adama Barrow and Macky Sall and a series of cooperation agreements were signed
to facilitate the implementation of the policy decisions. Since then, steps
have been taken to ensure the operationalisation of the cooperation agreements.
In January 2019, the two Heads of State came
together to officially open the TransGambia Bridge, which was renamed The Senegambia
Bridge, allowing easier movement of people and goods, as well as improving on
trade and other services.
Despite recent border closure by unionists,
the two countries are working closely to promote peace and stability, health
promotion and surveillance, tourism and hospitality, among others for the
mutual benefit of their two peoples.
