By Jacqueline Ampo
Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, has assured the international community of government’s commitment to ensuring peaceful and transparent presidential and parliamentary elections come December 7.
She said the country’s longstanding tradition of respect for human rights and freedom of expression, as well as press freedom, will be maintained to further solidify the democratic gains of the country. Madam Botchway, made these remarks when a delegation from Nordic countries, paid a courtesy call to her office in Accra.
The Nordic countries made up of Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland have maintained robust relations with Ghana for more than six decades. The recent visit to Ghana is to discuss areas for cooperation, such as regional and global security, democracy, human rights, and the reform of multilateral institutions. Briefing the delegation, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, highlighted Ghana’s democracy and political stability as exemplary within the subregion. She said this would be protected going into the general election.
Madam Botchway also briefed the delegation of recent Amendment of the Criminal Offences Act to abolish the death penalty. “Within the context of democracy and human rights, we acknowledge Ghana’s importance as a beacon of democracy and political stability within the subregion and, indeed, in Africa as a whole.
I highlighted Ghana’s stable democratic system since the early 1990s, with peaceful transitions of power through elections, which demonstrates a profound commitment to upholding democratic principles. I further assured my Nordic colleagues of the government’s commitment to ensuring peaceful and transparent presidential and parliamentary elections in December. We agree to continue to collaborate in ensuring transparent and fair democratic processes, which align with our shared values of good governance, democracy, and human rights,” She said.
For his part, Tobias Billström, Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, commended Ghana for countering terrorism. This he noted has engendered regional peace and security, in the midst of ongoing global challenges. “Just like Ghana, the N5 is firmly committed to standing up for the international rules-based order, democracy, and human rights. These values are now under attack, notably through Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which threatens not only peace and security, but the very principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty.
We acknowledge and welcome Ghana’s clear stance in the United Nations General Assembly on this matter in defense of international law and the UN Charter, as well as leading the way for many other countries. We also appreciate Ghana’s important role in ECOWAS, in UN peacekeeping, and the Accra initiative to combat the propagation of violent extremism and terrorism.
A regional approach is key to tackling the cross-border challenges that the region faces, including violent extremism and organized crime. He said” The visit reflects the continued commitment of the Nordic countries to strengthen their partnerships with Ghana, fostering collaboration on shared goals of security and democratic governance.
