President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday, received the Letters of Credence of five newly appointed envoys accredited to Ghana from Portugal, Seychelles, Venezuela, Chad and Gabon.
Letters of Credence are official diplomatic documents presented to the President by Heads of Missions, who have been nominated by their respective governments to serve as envoys to Ghana.
The five new envoys include: Mrs Maria Da Conceicao De Souse Pilar, Ambassador of Portugal; Mr Conrad Vincent Mederic, High Commissioner of Seychelles; and Mr Citizen Jesús Albert Garcia, Ambassador of Venezuela.
The rest are Mr Gonfouli Souariba, Ambassador of Chad and Mr Maximin Mangoualamangoye, High Commissioner of Gabon.
The presentation of credentials marks the official start of an envoy’s Mission in Ghana, allowing them to engage in diplomatic and economic activities.
At the presentation held at the Credentials Hall of the Presidency, President Mahama welcomed the three Ambassadors and two High Commissioners accredited to Ghana and extended his best wishes to them in their line of duties.
He called for the strengthening of bilateral relations between Ghana and each of the five nations for their mutual benefits.
Upon receiving the credentials of the Portuguese Ambassador, President Mahama said “Ghana appreciates the fact that the Portuguese National Airline now flies directly to Accra”.
“Ghana itself is trying to re-establish our national airline and at the appropriate time, we’ll be looking for your partnership,” President Mahama said.
He said Ghana wanted to expand its economic relations with Portugal, expressing the hope that they would be able to attract some investors to Ghana.
Touching on West Africa, President Mahama said the region was currently facing problems with violent extremism, especially in the Sahel region.
He said Ghana was partnering with several countries in the EU – France, UK, Germany, and the United States in terms of building up the capacity, to be able to resolve the issues of violent extremism in the Sahel.
“ECOWAS has gone through a bit of issues with three of the countries deciding to leave Community, but we’re still in continuous dialogue with them,” he said.
President Mahama said he had appointed a Special Envoy to continue the dialogue with the hope that they would be able to resolve the issues and break down the mistrust between them, so that they could collaborate in the interests of their people.
Mrs Maria Da Conceicao De Souse Pilar, the Ambassador of Portugal lauded Ghana’s role towards stability and initiatives for the security of the West African region, the Accra Initiative, and its efforts for security in the region.
She further called for the promotion of cooperation between Portugal and Ghana.
GNA
