By Iddi Yire
Accra, Oct 26, GNA – Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional on Wednesday held bilateral discussions on issues of mutual interest with her Turkish counterpart Mr Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in Accra.
The visit, which is the first official visit by a Turkish Foreign Minister to Ghana was at the instance of Madam Ayorkor Botchwey.
It was aimed at strengthening the bilateral relations that exist between Ghana and Türkiye the need to deepen economic ties and bilateral trade as well as issues relating to peace and security.
Mr Çavuşoğlu, who is on a three-nation tour of Africa, had already been to Senegal and from Ghana, he would be visiting Benin.
The Turkish Foreign Minister, who arrived in Ghana on Tuesday, October 25, would also be holding a meeting with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Madam Ayorkor Botchwey in her remarks after the meeting with her Turkish counterpart recalled the diplomatic relations between Ghana and Türkiye which dates to the early 1960s and noted that the gradual growth of Ghana-Türkiye bilateral relations over the years which had translated into mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, namely education, defence and tourism.
She also acknowledged the exchange of various high-level visits undertaken between their two nations, notably the recent official visit to Ghana by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in March 2016, which followed a State visit to Turkey by then President John Dramani Mahama in 2013.
She mentioned her visit to Türkiye this year to participate in the Anatalya Forum.
These, Madam Ayorkor Botchwey said had contributed to the strengthening of the existing bonds of friendship and cooperation between Ghana and Türkiye, both at the bilateral and multilateral levels.
“We recognised the need for cooperation in new areas such as waste management, agriculture, manufacturing, technology, oil and gas, defence, peace and security,” she said.
“We also emphasised the need for implementation of the various memoranda of understanding and agreements signed between our two countries, noting in particular the Agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation, which, it is hoped, would help boost investments and bilateral trade which have been declining in recent years.”
Madam Ayorkor Botchwey reiterated that Ghana remains the most attractive destination for Foreign Direct Investment in Africa and called on the Turkish Business Community to partner with their Ghanaian counterparts to take advantage of the large market of 1.3 billion people offered by the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), to increase bilateral and intra-Africa trade, with Ghana as the entry point.
Madam Ayorkor Botchwey also called for the revamping of the Ghana- Türkiye Business Council and the need for a Ghana-Türkiye Parliamentary Association.
She underscored Ghana Government’s focus on stabilizing and transforming Ghana’s economy to create jobs and prosperity for Ghanaians through agriculture, manufacturing, technology and energy sectors of the economy and invited Turkish businesses to explore investment opportunities in those areas.
She called on the Government of Türkiye to continue to support Ghana in its advocacy of these issues as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and especially during Ghana’s chairmanship of the Council this November.
With regards to security, the two Ministers reiterated the need for the two countries to cooperate in initiatives that promote peace and security and human rights, such as conflict resolution, the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking and advocating for enhancing global peace and security for sustainable and inclusive development.
The two Minister committed to work together to deepen their bilateral and multilateral relations for the mutual benefit of their people.
On his part, Mr Çavuşoğlu said as part of his visit to Ghana, he would be conveying President Erdoğan’s invitation to President Akufo-Addo to visit Türkiye.
Mr Çavuşoğlu noted that he had had a productive meeting with his Ghanaian counterpart, and that they used the opportunity to expand their bilateral and multilateral cooperations.
GNA