The newly appointed Chargé d’ affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Libya to Ghana, Mohamed M. O. Melad, has presented his Letter of Appointment to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.
In her statement to receive the open letter, Madam Ayorkor Botchwey acknowledged with satisfaction the cordial relations between Ghana and Libya, which dates back to the 1980s, nurtured into mutual cooperation through the African Union and CEN-SAD on issues of common interest to the two countries and through the Ghana-Libyan Holding Company (GHALCO), operators of the Golden Tulip chain of Hotels in Ghana.
She observed that the re-opening of Ghana’s Embassy in Libya in March 2020 was a further testament of Ghanas commitment to the strengthening of the existing bonds of friendship as well as an opportunity to expand the two countries commercial interests by exploiting market potentials on both sides, and providing visa and allied consular services.
She pointed out the Government of Ghana’s commitment towards consolidating existing friendly ties and expanding the scope of economic and technical cooperation between the two countries.
She made reference to the fact that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Libyan uprising and commended the Government of Libya for its prudent measures to address the problem of instability in the country.
She expressed the hope that the new Transitional Government will uphold its declared commitment to the organization of general elections for a peaceful and orderly transfer of power by the end of 2021.
However, she noted with concern, the complexity of the security situation in the Maghreb region and expressed the hope that the new government will put in much efforts to carry out a comprehensive disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of all combatants in line with the objectives of the security sector reforms and for national security.
She therefore seized the opportunity to assure Mr. Mohamed M.O. Melad of Ghana’s preparedness and willingness to support Libya and the international communitys efforts to restore peace and order, and emphasized that Ghana cherishes its fraternal relations with Libya and will always, steadfastly, assist in the return of the country to its former glorious state in the spirit of Pan-Africanism.
She explained that despite the geographical distance between the two countries, Ghana and Libya share many things in common such as the integration of Africa and the strengthening of the continental body in pursuit of common socio-economic goals.
She expressed Ghana’s desire to tap into Libyas rich experiences in oil and gas industry by adopting its best practices to protect water bodies and the environment in the country.
She mentioned that Ghana-Libya Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation (PJCC) has been in abeyance since it was last held in Sirte and Tripoli in May 2010, and expressed regret that most of the signed agreements have not been effectively implemented over the years, impacting negatively on the benefits desired by both countries, and entreated him to pursue the issue with his principals in Tripoli.
She reiterated the need for the two countries to deepen further the already cordial bilateral relations existing between the two countries and peoples.
By Melvin Tarlue