Two envoys, who officially completed their duty tour of Ghana, called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House in Accra to bid him farewell.
They are the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr Bijan Gerami Nazaksara who has been in the country for four years and his Japanese counterpart, Hisanobu MOCHIZUKI.
At separate meetings, Mr Nazaksara and Mr MOCHIZUKI were presented with carved stools and a souvenir as their parting gift in line with the age-long practice of Ghana’s presidency.
President Akufo-Addo expressed profound gratitude to the departing envoys for their contributions towards deepening the relations between their respective countries and Ghana.
He said Ghana has consistently supported Iran and would continue to be vocal about the issue of the sanctions imposed by the United States of America.
President Akufo-Addo expressed hope that Iran and Israel would use the United Nations protocols to find a peaceful resolution to the misunderstanding that had ensued and aggravated in the last few months.
“When you get back to Tehran you know that the hope of us and all people in the world is that the situation between you and Israel can find a solution, God willing, one day.
“We believe strongly that with the intervention of the United Nations, Iran and Israel should find a way of being able to address their common problems of the future in the interests of not just regional stability but also global peace and stability,” he said.
With Japan, President Akufo-Addo said Ghana’s relationship with that country had always been strong, stressing that “We share many common aspirations and also a strong vision, common vision of the world.”
The President said Ghana and Japan have been strong in condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and would continue to stand on many similar issues in the global arena.
President Akufo-Addo said Japan’s support for Ghana’s tenure on the Security Council is heartwarming and expressed Ghana’s appreciation to Japan.
On the upcoming elections, he assured that the government would do everything possible to ensure that the will of Ghanaians is respected.
The outgoing Iranian Ambassador noted that the economic sanctions imposed on his country by the US continued to be a major obstacle in its relations with countries worldwide.
He said the sanctions have impacted negatively on his country’s banking system which has made government-to-government cooperation very difficult.
Mr Nazaksara said his country’s focus is to concentrate on the private sector and that is the reason why private sector players in Iran are encouraged to come to Ghana and invest and vice versa.
In his remarks, MOCHIZUKI said he would still carry fond memories of Ghana even as he ends his duty tour of the country.
He said Ghana is a beacon of hope in Africa as far as democratic development is concerned.
Mr MOCHIZUKI said he hopes that Ghana’s upcoming elections in December would further entrench the peace and stability Ghana is enjoying particularly in the sub-region.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah
