Longitude profile of the VHE γ-ray GC ridge emission in units of excess counts∕arcmin². The CR background and the two point sources HESS J1745−290 and G0.9+0.1 were subtracted from the counts map. The profile has been integrated over − 0.3° < b < +0.3°. The green line shows the model based on the VHE emission profile used in Paper I, which includes a central 0.8° width Gaussian multiplied by the CS map. This does not account for the clear excess at the GC position. As shown in Paper II the latter is rather well reproduced by a profile obtained with a 1∕r CR density integrated over a homogeneous gas density in the line of sight and multiplied by the integrated CS map (blue line).