By Ya Awa Touray
The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Dr Mamadou Tangara on Thursday, May 5th received a copy of the Letter of Credence of the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to the Republic of The Gambia, His Excellency Mr. Kim Ji-joon.
In what was his first bilateral engagement since being re-appointed Foreign Minister of The Gambia effective 4th May, the Minister congratulated and warmly welcomed Ambassador Kim Ji-joon and assured him of a very fruitful cooperation between the two countries.
Dr. Tangara expressed appreciation for Korea’s support for The Gambia’s democratic consolidation and stated that South Korea would be acknowledged as a contributor to The Gambia’s democratisation history. He also thanked them for the assistance rendered to The Gambia in the areas of agriculture, food security and providing mobility to The Gambia Police.
“We Gambians can learn a lot from Korea, but most importantly, their sense of patriotism and how they managed to break the vicious cycle of underdevelopment,” posited Dr. Tangara.
Minister Tangara assured Ambassador Kim of Gambia’s resolve to deepen cooperation with Korea.
Ambassador Jim congratulated the Honourable Minister on his re-appointment as Foreign Minister and also expressed Korea’s readiness to deepen bilateral cooperation with The Gambia especially in the area of food security. He assured the Honourable Minister to further promote the friendship between the two countries and the mutual interests of the two countries.
The Korean Consul in The Gambia, Muhammed Jah, who accompanied Ambassador Jim to the Foreign Ministry, congratulated the Honourable Minister on behalf of the Consulate on his re-appointment and urged him to continue the brilliant work he has been doing for the past 5 years.
Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and The Gambia were formally established on 21 April 1965.