President Jammeh has rated the African Union Banjul Summit as the most successful summit ever held in the history of the AU.

Responding to questions at a press conference held at the Banjul International Airport on Monday, President Jammeh said: “I have said it that by the grace of Almighty God, we will host it and it will be successful. It is the most successful summit ever held.  This is why it took us eight years to get prepared for it. It was hitch-free and well attended.”

About the unification of Africa, President Jammeh said the objective of the African Union is to set up a continental African government. “How it is going to be done may not mean that countries are going to lose their sovereignty.  Already, we have a European Union, where they have a parliament; a council of ministers; and a European Commission. This is what we want to do but at a deeper level,” he said.

Asked about the invitation of Iran and Venezuela to the AU Banjul Summit, President Jammeh replied: “The Gambia is exercising her freedom of association. No one will tell us who to invite and who not to invite. We are an independent country. If others have a problem with them, it does not mean that we should also have a problem with them. They are here to address bilateral issues on what Africa, Asia and Latin America can do together. I will do whatever that protects the interest of the Gambian people and Africa.”

About the mass exodus of African youth to the West, President Jammeh said: “God created this world and made it diverse so that people can move from one place to another. This is the same reason why European explorers discovered Africa and became settlers and colonial masters for 400 years. I believe people have the right to move from one place to another. What I will not recommend is criminals moving from one place to another. Nobody can stop migration, no matter what law you put in place.”

He then added: “Let us not criminalise migration. I am not encouraging migration. But for me to stay in a particular place, there must be a reason for that. Migration is a natural phenomenon. Nobody can stop it.”

Asked about the unrest in some parts of Africa, President Jammeh said most of the wars in Africa are “proxy wars” controlled by faces outside Africa.  “You have external forces who serve a vested interested.  Their interest is to see an unstable Africa so that they will continue to exploit African resources at the detriment of Africa.  With regard to Darfur, Sudan, we don't need external forces to put an end to the war, if the African Union mandates the peacekeepers there to enforce peace, I am sure the war in Sudan will come to an end,” he said