Richard Shih, the Taiwanese ambassador to The Gambia, yesterday, paid a courtesy call on Mrs Neneh Macdouall-Gaye, the managing director the Observer Company, publisher of the Daily Observer newspaper.

Ambassador Shih's visit sought to explore possibilities to further consolidate the long-standing partnership between his embassy and the Daily Observer newspaper.

During his encounter with the Observer MD, the Taiwanese plenipotentiary expressed delight with the partnership and thanked the Daily Observer for the support being given to the cooperation between Banjul and Taipei. Mr Shih also used the opportunity to express how much he has fallen in love with The Gambia, as his first spot in the West African sub-region, after serving as an ambassador to South Africa.

In her response, Mrs Macdouall-Gaye thanked the ambassador for finding time to visit the Daily Observer, which she described as a growing but young company, since a proportionate number of its staff force constitutes young people. She highlighted the importance the Observer attaches to the relations between the two countries, which according to her, has been mutually rewarding for both The Gambia and the Asian-Pacific Island state.

She commended Taiwan for being a "true friend" of The Gambia, adding that some of the major accomplishments in the second republic would not have been possible without Taiwan.

The Observer boss assured Ambassador Shih of the paper's continuous support and partnership. She used the opportunity to highlight some of the key areas of interest to the company, including human resource development and institutional support.

Ambassador Shih was later led on a conducted of all the departments by Mr Andrew DaCosta, the deputy managing director of the Observer Company.