Seven envoys present letters of credence
Seven new envoys yesterday presented their letters of credence to President John Dramani Mahama at the Flagstaff House. They were
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Mrs Maria de Los Angeles Arriola Aguirre, Mexico; Ms Tove Degnbol, Denmark; Mr Emmanuel Zeev Mehi, Israel, and Mr Joseph Nourrice, The Seychelles.
The rest were Mr Harry Purwanto, Indonesia, Mr Daniel Ole Njoolay, Tanzania, and Prof. Dr Sci Jovan Maric, Serbia.
Mexico
Mexico has reopened its mission in Ghana after it was closed in 1980 and President Mahama described the occasion as refreshing.
He said Ghana and Mexico had shared values but, unfortunately, trade between them was low.
He also took notice of the lack of high-level visits between the two countries, saying the last Ghanaian Head of State to visit Mexico was Dr K. A. Busia in 1971 and expressed the hope that the coming of Mrs Aguirre would change the situation.
The President stated that the two nations also shared values in the fight against the illicit drug business and expressed Ghana’s solidarity with Mexico in its battle against drug cartels.
Mrs Aguirre, in response, said she was very proud to be the first Mexican Envoy to Ghana, after more than 30 years’ diplomatic absence, and promised that she would work assiduously to strengthen the ties between the two countries.
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Denmark
President Mahama said relations between Ghana and Denmark were very strong, adding that he appreciated Denmark's solidarity with Africa in the continent's development efforts.
He said Denmark had been supporting very important projects in Ghana and added that one project so dear to the government was the closure of Lavender Hill in Accra which closure would be pursued to its logical conclusion.
He also touched on the proposed expansion of the Tema Port and expressed the hope that the sod-cutting ceremony would be performed by the end of this year for the project to start.
Ms Degnbol said the two countries were in interesting times with regard to their partnership, adding that they could only look up to many successes.
Israel
When it was the turn of the Israeli Ambassador, President Mahama talked about the long-standing bilateral relations between Ghana and Israel, which he said had continued to flourish in many areas.
He, however, noted that trade and investment were not only low but also skewed in favour of Israel.
The President said Ghana would continue to appeal for peace in the Middle East.
Responding, Mr Mehi said Israel was seeking to improve its trade relations with Ghana.
The Seychelles
President Mahama said the historic relations between Ghana and The Seychelles had their roots in the deportation of a past Asante King, Nana Prempeh I, and his family to that country by the British during the Anglo-Asante wars.
He also noted the recent visit by the current Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to The Seychelles and expressed the hope that the visit would give an added impetus to relations between the two countries.
Mr Nourrice, for his part, said there were a lot of areas The Seychelles and Ghana could collaborate on a win-win basis.
Indonesia
President Mahama stated that Ghana and Indonesia shared the same position on matters of international relevance.
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He said Ghana had proposed the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the establishment of a permanent joint cooperation between the two countries,
Mr Purwanto, in response promised to work to advance the relations between his country and Ghana.
Tanzania
The President said relations between Ghana and Tanzania had continued to be strong.
He said in recent times, the two countries had exchanged various visits aimed at building on those relations.
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The President said a number of Ghanaians spoke Swahili as a result of the education they had in Tanzania.
He noted the steps East African countries were taking towards integration.
Mr Njoolay, in response, said Tanzania was happy to learn and pick important points about the Ghanaian Constitution in an effort to advance its democracy.
Serbia
At the turn of Serbian envoy, President Mahama expressed delight at efforts to restore peace in that country.
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He said Ghana was working to reopen its embassy in Serbia.
Prof. Dr Maric said Serbia would want to see stronger relations with Ghana in the years ahead.