President Akufo-Addo addressing a delegation from Togo at a ceremony in Accra
President Akufo-Addo has reiterated his commitment to ensure the successful resolution of the standoff between the government of Togo and the opposition parties.
He made the announcement when he invited leaders of the opposition parties in that country for a meeting as part of the ongoing negotiations aimed at resolving the impasse.
At a meeting at the Flagstaff House in Accra yesterday, President Akufo-Addo noted, “I asked for this meeting through the minister because I felt that it is important that we keep up the momentum of the discussions…
“I’m hoping that that spirit will animate you and on the basis of that, we will continue to talk and make concessions and compromises…not made just by you, but those your principal adversaries in quotes, the government in Togo; so that the peace, the freedom and security of the Togolese people are attained because I am fully committed to do whatever I can to see how Ghana can bring to the resolution of the crisis in Togo,” he said.
That, he said, is because “It is in our interest to see on our eastern border a stable Togo which goes about its business in a normal way and which allows the democratic values and lives that all of us are committed to in our part of the world today to flourish.”
Referring to the last time they met in Lome, the capital of Togo, the president recalled, “We broke off on a very important and fundamental point and then since then I’m aware of certain events [and] developments that have taken place since our last meeting.
President Akufo-Addo claimed, “I’m aware that many of the matters that we are trying to deal with are not results of yesterday’s movements but of a long period of history unraveling; history of a long origin is not an easy matter to deal with in a day or two and that the need for us to continue to keep the door of dialogue open is extremely important.
“I don’t believe that responsible people like you are looking for the inflammation of tension or confrontation in your country that will bring a protracted crisis and difficulties, having been persuaded by the discussions that we’ve had so far, of your determination to find a peaceful resolution of the crisis in Togo.”
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent