Envoy hails ‘excellent’ Gabonese-Saudi ties

RIYADH: Gabon’s Ambassador Ismael G. Oligui said that Saudi Arabia “has established friendly and cooperative ties with many countries in the world, among which is the Gabonese Republic.”
Speaking to Arab News, the ambassador praised the Kingdom’s “wonderful population bearing a very rich culture and colorful traditions” and “a leadership full of wisdom and vision that can be experienced in its conduct” of domestic and international affairs.
“Thanks to the high values, professionalism and wisdom of... King Salman and his government, Saudi Arabia has succeeded in building and maintaining constructive bonds with great countries of the world, including my own, with which the Kingdom established diplomatic relations in 1974.”
Gabon opened its embassy in the Kingdom in 1976, which Riyadh reciprocated by opening its diplomatic mission in the central African country in 1996.
“The two countries are bound by excellent bilateral relations, which need to be strenghtened,” Oligui said.
Gabon’s minister of economy, investment, development and forecast, Regis Imongo, visited Saudi Arabia in 2015 for the signing of an agreement to prevent double taxation and fiscal evasion with respect to income tax.
Oligui said other signed agreements included a general cooperation deal signed in Riyadh in 2011 and the creation of the Ile Mandji Free Zone signed in 2009.
“Some draft projects remain to be negotiated, and finally diplomatic consultations that were initiated are to be followed up,” he said, adding that accords on joint committee regular meetings, promotion and protection of reciprocal investments, and fiscal agreements have to be signed.
“Gabon’s cooperation with Saudi Arabia is materialized through the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), which is the main instrument translating in facts Islamic solidarity through the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),” he said.
“It’s in the framework of this solidarity that the IDB has been granting loan agreements to Gabon for the achievement of a number of projects for road-infrastructure building and... in the area of education.”
Oligui invited Saudis to visit Gabon for its tourist attractions, including its numerous national parks.