We wish to welcome the Iranian president, Mahmuud Ahmedinijad to The Gambia, who is on one day working visit to the country, as part of his five-day working trip to Latin America and Africa. During the course of the trip, the Iranian president is scheduled to visit his counterparts and other officials in The Gambia, Senegal, Brazil, Venezuela and Bolivia; and is accompanied by an economic and trade delegation comprising traders and managers from both the Iranian government and its private sector.

The visit of the Iranian president has come at a much better time; a time that the fourteenth biannual trade fair is in progress. This important state visit will undoubtedly accord him the opportunity to see for himself what The Gambia can offer. Furthermore, the state visit will not only consolidate the bilateral ties between the two countries but can also lead to the expansion of cooperation in commerce and investment. The presence of some Iranian investors in the country, coinciding with the state visit of their president means more windows of opportunity for the escalation of Iranian investment in The Gambia.

As it is, genuine friendship is not easy to come by. People always claim to be friends but a true and genuine friend is always easily reorganized, as it is only such a friend that will stand by you in times of need. So is the case of The Gambia and Iran. The two countries have in the recent past been enjoying a good bilateral relationship. They have always been standing along side each other in pursuit of international justice.

This is indeed what development is all about. It is in effect a commitment in our countries and indeed in the global community, where resources and knowledge are brought to ensure the creation of a world where every human being has all opportunities to grow and contribute to their fullest potential to the advancement of their society. It is such participatory development that The Gambia and Iran are committed to; hence explaining their determination to engendering genuine cooperation, global peace and justice.

It is quite obvious that President JammehÂ's ambition is to ensure that The Gambia and the developing nations at large emancipate themselves from the vicious cycle of poverty and underdevelopment using their own available means. This explains the strong ties between The Gambia and many other countries, Iran in particular. Ever since the two countries embraced each other, Iran has never relented in proving to The Gambia that it is a true and guanine partner. Once again Mr President, have a nice and fruitful stay.