Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister and Regional Integration, invited the ambassadors of Israel and Iran to his Accra office for separate meetings.
On Tuesday, the Minister met with H.E. Roey Gilad of Israel and then held talks with H.E. Ali Ghomshi of Iran on Wednesday.
The meetings allowed Mr. Ablakwa to convey the Mahama Administration’s emergency evacuation strategy for Ghanaians living in their countries with the two ambassadors for onward communication to their governments to facilitate border access approvals.
So far, the first batch of Ghanaians in Iran have been evacuated to Turkey successfully, “our fellow nationals living in Israel will be evacuated shortly”.
According to the Minister, “these engagements have also enriched our understanding of the ongoing conflict.
It is worth emphasizing that in the meeting with the Israeli Ambassador, I registered Ghana’s strong displeasure at his recent public pronouncements questioning Ghana’s voting pattern at international organizations”.
“I urged him to respect our sovereign right to make independent decisions based on our longstanding globally acclaimed foreign policy principles anchored on Ghana’s national interest as espoused by the 1992 Constitution, pacifist approach to peace building, non-alignment, respect for the UN Charter, adherence to the rule-based international order, belief in multilateralism and strict compliance with international law”.
The minister said, these cherished principles will continue to guide Ghana’s foreign policy imperatives within all international organizations, particularly at this defining moment when Ghana is serving on the UN Human Rights Council and chairing the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Finally, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa re-echoed Ghana’s demand for both countries to cease fire and opt for a peaceful diplomatic resolution of their concerns.
