|
President Kufuor receives five new Ambassadors
Accra, March 18, Ghanadot/GNA - President John Agyekum
Kufuor on Tuesday at the Osu Castle received the Letters of
Credence of five new Ambassadors and High Commissioners
appointed to the country.
They are Mr William Gordon Williams, High Commissioner of
Australia; Mrs Ruchi Ghahashyarn, Indian High Commissioner;
Mr Dragan Mraovic, Ambassador of Serbia; Mr Mohamed Habib
Doutoun, Chadian Ambassador, and Mr Moshe Ram, Ambassador of
Israel.
President Kufuor expressed Ghana's desire to sustain and
deepen its relations with Australia when Mr Williams called.
Australia with its strong business presence particularly in
the mining sector, he said, had been a reliable friend and
development partner.
He recalled the substantial relief support Australia gave to
victims of the devastating floods that hit parts of the
country last year.
Mr Williams pledged to work hard to build on the solid
foundation of friendship between the two countries.
At the turn of Mrs Ghahashyarn, President Kufuor publicly
conveyed the country's appreciation to India for the
tremendous assistance and push it was providing to Ghana's
development efforts.
The Presidential Complex, a significant landmark, being
built at the Flagstaff House in Accra is being funded from a
30-million-dollar soft loan from India, 15-million dollars
of which is a grant.
There is also another 30-million dollars also with a grant
component of 15 million dollars to support rural
electrification.
President Kufuor noted the growing Indian investment in the
country. It is ranked second to United Kingdom (UK), as the
biggest investor in Ghana.
Mrs Ghahashyarn said she felt very much at home and promised
to do all she could to take the relationship between Ghana
and her country to a higher level.
She praised President Kufuor for the dynamism and momentum
he had brought to the relationship of the two countries.
The Serbian Ambassador recounted the contribution made to
Africa's development by former Yugoslavia of which, Serbia
was part and said there would not be any shift in policy by
his country toward the Continent.
He referred to what he described as "illegal secession" of
Kosovo, a development, he said, could endanger peace not
only in the Balkan but the world adding that it was the hope
of his country that Africa would respect the territorial
integrity of Serbia.
President Kufuor noted that the history of that part of the
world was complicated and said Ghana would be guided by
consultations through the United Nations (UN) system.
Ghana, he said, wished the best for Serbia to attain genuine
peace and stability so that the two nations could relate
positively to the mutual benefit of their peoples.
When the Chadian Ambassador took his turn, President Kufuor
counselled Chad and Sudan to respect each other's
sovereignty, secure their borders, and stop rebels from
crossing over to cause confusion and dislocation of peoples
in the two neighbouring countries.
He said it was high time Africans found a way of living
together.
The Ambassador expressed the hope that the recent Dakar
Agreement signed by his country with Sudan would be
respected to help to bring lasting peace and security to
that part of Africa.
The Israeli Ambassador, who would be based in Abuja, said
his major mission would be to ensure that his country opened
an Embassy in Ghana.
"This is long over due. We are going to see how we can come
back to Accra."
President Kufuor said there were a lot the two stood to
benefit through improved relations.
GNA
|
