Islamabad, 22 March 2022 (TDI): The Foreign Minister of the Republic of The Gambia, Dr. Mamadou Tangara met his Pakistani counterpart. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the48th summit of the OIC Foreign Ministers in Islamabad.
Both officials discussed strengthening the cooperation between the two countries across all areas. Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, further declared that Pakistan will fully support Gambia’s bid to organize the 15th Heads of State and Government Summit in 2022.
Pleased to meet FM of Republic of The Gambia H.E. Dr. Mamadou Tangara on sidelines of#OIC48CFM. Discussed strengthening of cooperation across all areas. Pakistan will fully support The Gambia’s organisation of the 15th Heads of State and Government Summit in 2022.#OICInPakistanpic.twitter.com/bfj6a1nUqh
— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI)March 22, 2022
The 48th Summit of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is being held in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Thetheme of the 48th CFM is “Building Partnerships for Unity, Justice, and Development”. The Summit will last for two days from March 22 to 23, 2022.
The agenda of the Summit was to deliberate upon the issues faced by the Islamic World including, Palestine, Syria, Kashmir, Yemen, Rohingya, and many African countries.
Pakistan and Gambia established relations in 1967. Since then, both countries have enjoyed friendly and cooperative relations. Both are Muslim-majority countries and have supported each other at the United Nations and other international forums.
There has been cooperation in the fields of education, technology, and governance between the two countries. In 2014, a retired Pakistani judge, Ali Nawaz Chowhan was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Gambia.
The appointment of a Pakistani in one of the nation’s highest positions signaled the cordial and respectful ties the two countries have enjoyed. Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan held the “Engage Africa” envoy’s conference to enhance ties with African countries.
The “Engage Africa’ is a pragmatic strategy to enhance ties between Pakistan and African countries. The strategy mostly focuses on developing trade and commercial ties.
However, Pakistan also has robust relations with many African countries in the fields of culture, education, governance, and military. Pakistan seeks to further develop relations in all these fields.
Hassan Ahmed is an IR graduate with research and writing experience in IR theory and great power politics. He previously worked as a research fellow at IPDS and wrote for The Diplomatic Insight. His published works include "Reimagining US-Pakistan Ties" and a Book Review of "War Without Winners."
