The chief of Defence staff of the Gambia Armed Forces at the defence headquarters in Banjul has received two Armoured Personnel Carrier vehicles (APCs) to the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Turkey
The APC vehicles worth over a million dollars are the latest versions of the Armoured Personnel Carrier combat vehicles designed to transport personnel and equipment with maximum protection in combat zones.
The noble gesture comes on the heels of Turkish Government’s efforts to complement and support the Gambia Armed Forces readiness to deploy troops in a United Nations mission with their country-owned equipment. Prior to this, it could be recalled that 500 Gambian military personnel have earlier been airlifted in 2 batches for further training in Peace Support Operations held in Isparta, the Republic of Turkey.
Speaking at the event, the Turkish Ambassador to the Gambia His Excellency Tolga Bermek expressed delight on how rapidly the bilateral relation between the two countries is growing. The long standing relation between both countries he added, has cemented mutual cooperation that continue to yield tangible results in crucial areas such as Internal Security, Education and Infrastructural development. Ambassador Tolga highlighted that the Government of Turkey has been committed to intensifying its support to the Gambia Armed Forces in the areas of capacity building programs and logistic support. He went on to commend personnel of GAF for their impeccable track record in peacekeeping missions in different parts of the world.
The donation of these 2 APCs vehicles thus came in timely to complement their efforts and their peacekeeping endeavors.
The Honourable Minister of Defence His Excellency Ambassador Sering Modou Njie on behalf of His Excellency the President of the Republic of The Gambia and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces seized the opportunity to register profound gratitude to the Government and people of Turkey for the timely gesture.
The partnership between both countries he described will go a long way to mutually enhance an already existing cooperation that will yield fruitful results. The Honourable Minister Njie further extoled the common progress made between the two countries especially between the two ministries and that of the two armed forces. He gave strong assurances that his Ministry is always ready and will continue to work with the Turkish Ministry of Defence for the betterment of both Nations.
The Chief of Defence Staff of the Gambia Armed Force Lieutenant General Yakuba A Drammeh on his part expressed utmost appreciation for the laudable support. CDS Drammeh went on to highlight the background as well as the significance of having the APC vehicles especially in the domain of capacity building for GAF personnel. He emphasized that the equipment has come in handy in enhancing preparatory efforts for UN missions in no distant future. He further indicated that the Gambia Armed Forces is committed to serving in the best interest of the country and humanity by extension.
Lieutenant General Drammeh thus concluded by pledging to continue working toward deploying more troops to UN missions in the quest to maintaining global peace.
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