The world progressive peoples still carry heartwarming feelings for the immortal feats of President Kim Il Sung who, 44 years ago, extended unreserved support and encouragement to the Gabonese people in their struggle to build a new society.
President Kim Il Sung gave a cordial reception to the then President of the Republic of Gabon, Mr. El Hadj Omar Bongo who visited the DPRK from May 9 to 12, 1977, greeting him at the airport and personally accompanying him to his place of stay.
The president, deeply moved by warm welcome of the hundreds of thousands of people lined along the road, said in excitement that he had never been exposed to such a large-scale welcome as the one from this great and beautiful country, expressing once again his heartfelt thanks to President Kim Il Sung.
At the rounds of talks and meetings, President Kim Il Sung highly appreciated the efforts exerted by President El Hadj Omar Bongo for building a new society and clarified in detail the issues of principle arising in maintaining independence.
President Kim Il Sung held a grand banquet in honour of the Gabonese President, his wife and their party, and had given both material and moral support to the Gabonese people in their struggle for independent development of their country. The Gabonese President, looking up to him, opened his heart saying that President Kim Il Sung is not only the respected leader of Korean people, but also the role model and exemplar of everyone. He then respectfully awarded to President Kim Il Sung the Order of Equatorial Star, the highest order of his country.
Indeed, President Kim Il Sung is the father of all the people and the senior statesman without peer. Anyone, once met by him, would be charmed by the warm feelings and benevolence radiating from him to believe in him as in the sun and follow him, regardless of one’s place of residence in this world.
President Kim Il Sung, always paying close attention to the Gabonese people in their struggle to build a powerful and prosperous society, had rendered a great encouragement to their independent development. Such immortal feats performed by President Kim Il Sung will be cherished forever in the minds of the two peoples.
In future, too, we will develop the relations between our two countries which were provided by President Kim Il Sung under the ideals of independence, peace and friendship and as required by the new era.
