Iran and Gambia Vow Closer Cooperation

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday vowed closer cooperation with Gambia at the end of a 24-hour visit to the west African nation and stressed the country's identical views on world issues.

"We will continue to further our cooperation in all areas for the benefit of the two countries," he told a press conference, stressing security, agriculture and education.

The leaders also discussed the issue of stability and peace as a precondition for development.

"The Gambia and Iran are two countries with identical views," Ahmadinejad said.
According to a statement, the Iranian president and his Gambian counterpart Yahya Jammeh have undertaken "to cooperate in the fight against all forms of threat to peace, security and progress in the interest of mankind."
Jammeh lauded the comprehensive relationship between Banjul and Tehran.

"There is no limit to our relationship. It is a very open and brotherly relationship and one that is here to stay," Jammeh said.He added that with the global financial crisis countries need to prioritise their bilateral relationships.

From Banjul, the Iranian leader is to continue on to Brazil, Bolivia,
Venezuela and Senegal.Prior to leaving Tehran, he said the countries he would visit on his five-day trip "have the ability to restore a new world order".

The Gambia

The Gambia is one of Africa's smallest countries and unlike many of its West African neighbours it has enjoyed long spells of stability since independence. The Gambia is Europe’s closest tropical destination , lying along the mangrove- and jungle-tangled banks of the Gambia river, and stretching from a short Atlantic coastline of sandy beaches into the heart of West African sahel.The gambia is the holiday destination, especially for winter sun holidays, for tourists from all over Europe.

President Yahya Jammeh seized power in a bloodless coup in 1994 and has ruled with an iron fist ever since.

Stability has not translated into prosperity. Despite the presence of the Gambia river, which runs through the middle of the country, only one-sixth of the land is arable and poor soil quality has led to the predominance of one crop - peanuts. This has made The Gambia heavily dependent on peanut exports - and a hostage to fluctuations in the production and world prices of the crop. Consequently, the country relies on foreign aid to fill gaps in its balance of payments.

President Jammeh wants to turn The Gambia into an oil-producing state. He says this could usher in a "new future". However, the country has yet to strike crude oil.

Tourism is an important source of foreign exchange, as is the money sent home by Gambians living abroad. Most visitors are drawn to the resorts that occupy a stretch of the Atlantic coast.

In 1994 The Gambia's elected government was toppled in a military coup. The country returned to constitutional rule two years later when its military leader ran as a civilian and won a presidential election. But the credibility of the poll was questioned by a group of Commonwealth ministers