Story By: Akua Oteng Amponsah
The Ghanaian government has successfully evacuated the first batch of its nationals from Iran to Turkey as part of an emergency response to rising tensions in the Middle East.
The evacuation follows a meeting between Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and the Ambassadors of Israel and Iran.
According to Minister Ablakwa, the engagements with the ambassadors led to the evacuation exercise. “So far, the first batch of Ghanaians in Iran has been evacuated to Turkey successfully. Our fellow nationals living in Israel will be evacuated shortly,” he stated in a Facebook post on June 20.
The Minister disclosed that the meetings with the ambassadors were part of President John Mahama’s administration’s emergency evacuation strategy.
The discussions aimed to secure border access approvals and ensure the safe passage of Ghanaian nationals as hostilities escalate in the region.
Minister Ablakwa also used the platform to express Ghana’s strong displeasure at recent public comments by the Israeli Ambassador, who questioned Ghana’s voting record at various international organisations.
“I urged him to respect our sovereign right to make independent decisions based on our longstanding globally acclaimed foreign policy principles,” he said.
The Minister called for restraint, urging Israel and Iran to commit to an immediate ceasefire and pursue a peaceful diplomatic resolution to their concerns.
Ghana’s principles of pacifism, non-alignment, and respect for international law will continue to guide its position at global fora, particularly during its current seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council and chairmanship of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s governing board.
