BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – President of the Republic of Senegal, Macky Sall, has ended a three-day visit to Barbados, which he described as a productive and engaging “pilgrimage”.
Speaking at a reception held in his honor, President Sall noted that the invitation to visit the island had been extended by Prime Minister Mia Mottley some time ago and that she recently insisted that he visit the island.
“I must say that I’m not regretting that she insisted and brought me here. This is a pilgrimage for me. It’s a pilgrimage for all the members of my delegation. It’s the pilgrimage for all the daughters and sons of Africa who are still on the mainland. And I can assure you that we will keep doing whatever we can to develop this relation and forge strong ties between our nations,” President Sall said.
President Sall, who arrived here on January 30 and was engaged in several activities with the private sector and other stakeholders on Wednesday and Thursday, also met with President Dame Sandra Mason.
Barbados established diplomatic ties with the Republic of Senegal on March 18, 1976.
Prime Minister Mottley said the two countries have committed to enhancing ties through cooperation in several areas.
Mottley told reporters that Barbados, like Senegal, recognizes a need for structural transformation of the economic structures. Without it, the people of both nations will not be able to prosper and make the transition into the new 21st century.
“It’s important to know that we face common challenges but have a common approach to development. Like Barbados, Senegal has provided its people with free primary and tertiary education. It has invested heavily in health care, and therefore believes that at the center of development must come to its people,” the Prime Minister stated.
To this end, both leaders assured that their governments are committed to deepening ties and cooperating in several areas outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Political Cooperation.
The MOU speaks to the framework under which steps will be taken to cooperate in tourism, culture, food, and nutritional security, to name a few.
“We’ve had sporadic interaction at the people-to-people level and occasional interaction at the diplomatic level. This (official visit) signals a desire for us to change the fact that we don’t want that kind of sporadic relationship, but we want a continuous one as neighbors…. We hope to sign an air services agreement shortly, as well as a double taxation agreement and bilateral investment treaty,” Mottley said.
The Prime Minister said an invitation had been extended for five artists to participate in the Biennale in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, in May.
President Sall said that activities undertaken during his visit, including the bilateral meeting and business forum, signaled the willingness to work together towards developing both countries and their people.
“With you, my dear Mia, we are committed to reforming global governance, particularly under the Bridgetown process you initiated. Together, we are convinced that the international system inherited from the Second World War is obsolete and can no longer govern the realities of the 21st century. So, everybody must muster the courage to take the next step to enter a more just world, a global village.…
“We have a common history; we have the same origins; we just were separated in pain by slavery. This is why we should do our utmost together to preserve our collective memory, especially to respect our cultural and civilizational values,” President Sall added.
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