Deputies at the National Assembly in a special session on Thursday, April 12, unanimously ratified the Framework Agreement on cooperation between the government of the Gambia and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Moving the motion before the parliamentarians, the Secretary of State for Higher Education Mr. Crispin Grey- Johnson, said the agreement was signed last year when the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez attended the African Union Summit held in The Gambia.

Mr. Grey-Johnson also said that the agreement is a testimony of the good will of the two countries, adding that it is aimed at strengthening relationship in the areas of agriculture, health, education, petroleum, energy and infrastructure.

The motion was seconded by the member for Kombo North, Adama Cham. The cooperation stipulated in this agreement will be carried out in the following development sectors: energy, economy, agriculture, social, education, cultural, military and any other sector that may be agreed upon by the parties.

The parties shall adopt complementary legal instruments, which included the following; the objectives to be attained or reached, the work agenda, the obligations of each party, the financing and the bodies responsible for their implementation.

The agreement also states that both parties shall promote cooperation between the institutions, public and or private enterprises in their respective countries, as well as, the participation of civil society, in conformity with their respective internal regulations.

For the implementation and follow up of this agreement, the parties shall create a Joint International Committee, which shall comprise representatives of both governments. It shall be presided over by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of both countries and shall meet every two years, alternatively in the Gambia and Venezuela, at dates to be agreed upon by the two parties.

According to the agreement, the joint committee will establish working groups in different fields of cooperation. The agreement is valid for a period of five years, renewable automatically for the same period unless one of the parties provides notification in writing, through diplomatic channels, six months in advance of its intention to denounce it. And the denunciation will be effective six months after the date of the notification. It was signed in the Gambia on July 2nd, 2006.