Welcome, President Abdel Aziz

The Daily Observer (Banjul)

Daily Observer

1 June 2011

editorial

We wish to welcome the Mauritanian President who is on a four-day working visit to The Gambia. The visit, which is the first since His Excellency Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, took over the affairs of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania two years ago will no doubt strengthen the already cordial ties existing between the two countries.

This is obvious because it takes two key people to establish a meaningful relationship: the pacesetters and those who are willing to take stock from the achievement of the pacesetters. And it takes strong commitment and dedication to the service of one’s people to engage in relationships that aim at boosting their standard of living. This will entail the willingness to make consultations, to learn and to share what one learns. Fortunately, this has been the trend of late in the African political arena. We have seen an even stronger manifestation of this trend in our part of the continent, West Africa, and even beyond. The bond of brotherhood between African leaders is being exploited. Gambians, thanks to the dynamic leadership of the country is honoured to be part of this history making.

Much more, the essence of a unified Africa is to pull together the continent’s resources and share experiences for the benefit of its people. And there can be no better way to achieving this goal than to first establish that cordial relationship that would serve as a conduit. Besides, ties between The Gambia and Mauritania are truly historical, going back a millennium. The two countries also share strong religious ties. In fact, Mauritania has served and continues to serve as a haven for religious knowledge acquisition for many Gambians. This is a remarkable trait of the union between the two people, whose relationship goes far beyond mere historical ties.

President Abdel Aziz’s visit to The Gambia is one that rekindles these memories and serves as reminder for our generation of the family bond. We cordially welcome you, Mr President, to The Gambia, the Smiling Coast of Africa.

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