President Adama Barrow has inaugurated a new Embassy and Ambassador’s Residence complex on June 28th 2021, at the Diplomatic Quarters (DQ) in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Speaking at the inauguration, President Barrow said he is proud that the Government of The Gambia undertook to fully fund the construction of the beautiful edifice, to provide a conducive and secure office and residence for the Embassy and Ambassador.
“Even though it took seven years to accomplish the project, it is a more sustainable arrangement and a model that could save the country annual rent payments of up to one hundred thousand US Dollars ($100,000). Indeed, it was worth investing over four million US Dollars to own this magnificent building and its furniture,” he revealed.
President Barrow expressed his 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.”
He said bearing in mind that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to claim lives, disrupt social life and devastate economies throughout the world, extending an invitation to an open event of this nature in any part of the world, is certainly not an easy decision to make; that this is no doubt a testimony of a very solid and close fraternal relation between the Governments and peoples of ‘our’ two countries.
“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,” he said.
Barrow said the structures are impressively beautiful and solid and aptly reflect and symbolise the excellent bilateral relations and cordial bonds that exist between the Governments and Peoples of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and The Republic of The Gambia.
“I congratulate the Ambassador and staff most heartily on this laudable achievement. In May 2017, I visited the project when it was at the initial stages, and have since been requesting for updates periodically from the Ambassador,” he said.
Barrow advised that good care be taken for the upkeep and maintenance of the buildings and all the equipment and facilities therein to safeguard and preserve the value of these precious Government assets.
“The structures can certainly serve as a model for replication in other Diplomatic Missions abroad. I will encourage the Ministry of Finance to emulate this positive example to construct other embassy offices and residences in countries where we have landed property, such as Senegal, Sierra Leone and Nigeria,” he said.
