The Gambia’ ambassador to Spain, Habib Saihou Drammeh, has presented his Letters of Credence to His Majesty King FELIPE VI.

The event was held on 12 June 2019.

Following the presentation of his letters of recall and credence to his Majesty, His Majesty FELIPE VI invited Ambassador Drammeh to an inner chamber for private discussion where he formally welcomed the Ambassador and enquired about the good health of President Adama Barrow.

Ambassador Drammeh extended the compliments of Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of The Gambia to his Majesty and through him to the Government and people of Spain, and equally extended his appreciation for the support given to him and his Government during the political impasse and the continuous support being rendered to his Government during the transition as a new Gambia is being fashioned and moulded into a new democracy.

Ambassador Drammeh further briefed His Majesty on the current developments in The Gambia per the gains made by the Government of The Gambia in the following areas:

• Improvements in democratic governance, human rights, and rule of law;

• Improvements in the energy sector and infrastructure notably the commissioning of the Senegambia bridge which is a political milestone;

• Reform of the security sector and Government’s efforts to curb irregular migration.

For his part, His Majesty King Felipe deliberated on Spain’s new strategy for Africa in which the Kingdom intends to engage more with the continent hoping to create a more productive relationship that focuses beyond the issue of immigration to address, inter alia, political stability, peace and security, economic growth and sustainable development.

Given that The Gambia is the first African country visited by the Foreign Minister in pursuing the goals and objectives of the new Africa Plan of the Kingdom and subsequently by the Interior Minister, His Majesty remarked that that is a testimony of how Spain values its relationship with The Gambia. He said besides the historical ties, over 46,000 Gambians live in Spain and that in itself means greater and closer ties between the two countries.

King Felipe outlined the importance of cementing the scope of bilateral cooperation in the following areas: Investments and business, agriculture, tourism and immigration.