Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration on Wednesday hosted a Delegation of five Nordic Foreign Ministers in Accra.
The Delegation is being laid by Mr Tobias Billström, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, which is within the framework of Sweden’s Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers (N5) – the informal foreign and security cooperation format between the Nordic countries.
Other Members of the Delegation include Mr Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the Foreign Minister of Denmark; Madam Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, the Foreign Minister of Iceland; Madam Elina Maria Valtonen, the Foreign Minister of Finland; and Madam Bjørg Sandkjær, the State Secretary for International Development of Norway.
The two-day visit to Ghana, which is the first by members of the N5 to Africa, enabled the Delegation to hold discussions with Madam Ayorkor Botchwey on topics such as global security, multilateral cooperation and increased trade and investment.
Madam Ayorkor Botchwey, in her remarks, acknowledged the long-standing relations between Ghana and the Nordic countries and lauded the shared efforts to expand the areas of cooperation at both the bilateral and multilateral fronts.
She said cooperation among the Nordic Countries was a remarkable instance of neighbourly cooperation that included a wide range of economic, political, social, and cultural partnerships.
This, Madam Ayorkor Botchwey said reflected the Nordic countries’ strong historical connections, similar ideals, and mutual respect, which had particularly in recent years, led to greater cooperation between African countries, including Ghana.
She mentioned the annual Africa-Nordic Foreign Ministers meeting, which provides a framework for an informal and open dialogue on international issues that were relevant both to the Nordic region and to Africa.
She said the partnership reinforced the historical solidarity that existed between the Governments and peoples of the two regions.
With regards to global security and multilateral cooperation, Madam Ayorkor Botchwey and Nordic counterparts acknowledged the imbalance in the structure of the United Nations Security Council—with five permanent members who wield veto power and 10 non-permanent elected members serving two-year terms, making the Security Council unable to fulfil its mandate to maintain international peace and security.
“In that light, we called for reforms in the Council to reflect a more balanced representation to enable the Council (to) adapt and respond to new and evolving global challenges like climate change, novel pandemics and global terrorism,” she stated.
Their discussions also focused on Regional Security and Development, including Cooperation on counter-terrorism, where Madam Ayorkor Botchwey briefed her guests on the situation in the Sahel and the West-African sub-region as a whole, including the measures being taken at the level of ECOWAS and the AU to address terrorism, rise in Military rule and violent extremist activities to restore normalcy to the affected countries.
She added that Ghana was resolute in the fight against transnational threats and the promotion of regional peace and security and welcomed the support of their Nordic partners in that regard.
Touching on Trade and Investment, she noted that trade and investment served as the bedrock of their economic relations, and that more could be done to increase the low levels of trade between Ghana and the Nordic countries.
She urged Ghana’s Nordic partners to promote trade liberalization, explore new sectors of collaboration, and encourage investment flows into Ghana, and Africa at large.
On his part, Mr Tobias Billström, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, said Nordic countries had a long history of takin part in international trade and that they believe building strong economic ties as a means of long-term development.
He said the Nordic countries and Ghana had long standing relations and a strong partnership that dated back more than 60 years ago.
“This joint visit to Ghana is of particular importance to us. Ghana is not only one of our largest trading partners in Africa but also the strongest ally in upholding international laws in addressing global challenges, including climate change and counteracting the spread of violent extremism in West Africa,” he stated.
He noted that the visit was a valuable opportunity to enhance cooperation between their countries in both bilateral and multilateral contexts.
While in Ghana the Delegation will meet with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for discussions on issues of mutual interest.
The Delegation will hold discussions with security ministers and representatives of civil society organisations.
GNA