President Adama Barrow has heaped heartfelt congratulation to his Saudi Arabian counterpart King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud for the good hospitality given to him and his delegation.
President Barrow who travelled to Saudi on 23rd June, was speaking during the inauguration of a D200 million newly built Gambian embassy complex in Saudi Arabia.
“First and foremost, I wish to express deep appreciation and thanks to The Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, and His Royal Highness, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud (May Allah preserve them), for the kind invitation for me and my delegation to visit The Holy Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I thank them too, most sincerely, for the generous welcome accorded to us since our arrival in Riyadh,” he said in his speech.
He described the moment as critical times “as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to claim lives, disrupt social life and devastate economies throughout the world.”
“With this in mind, extending an invitation to an open event of this nature, in any part of the world, is certainly not an easy decision to make. We recognise and appreciate this wonderful gesture very much indeed. It is, no doubt, a testimony of the very solid and close fraternal relations between the Governments and Peoples of our two countries,” he added.
He continued: “The Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, will be pleased to learn that, in compliance with The Kingdom`s directives for all Diplomatic Missions to relocate to a more secure and conducive environment, the plot of land he allocated to The Republic of The Gambia in 1989 for this project, when he was Governor of Riyadh, has been gainfully utilised, and developed successfully during his leadership as King of this noble and friendly nation. I now have the honour and pleasure to declare the new Embassy and Ambassador’s Residence complexes in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”