Ghana and the State of Israel have renewed their commitment to the fight against the threat of climate change and to protect the environment against degradation.
To this end, the two countries, on Tuesday, signed a “Joint Declaration of Intent on Cooperation, ”signalling their commitment to work together to achieve a common purpose.
The pact was signed between the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation of Ghana and the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the State of Israel.
Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, signed on behalf of Ghana while Mr Eli Cohen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel, signed on behalf of Israel, during bilateral talks between the two, in Accra.
Briefing the media after the talks and the signing, Ms Botchwey said the signing of the cooperation pact between the two countries indicated the importance both parties attached to issues of climate change and the effects on the environment.
She hailed the strong diplomatic relations between Ghana and the State of Israel, which has been in existence for more than six decades.
“We established diplomatic relations in 1958. Since then, we have, apart from a short period, maintained, very, very strong relations between our two countries,” she said.
The talks between the two Ministers formed part of a two-day working visit of Mr Cohen to Ghana.
He was accompanied by Ambassador Sharon Bar-Li, Deputy Director-General for Africa and former Ambassador of Israel to Ghana and other senior officials of the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
Talks between the two centred around cooperation between the parties in various fields at both bilateral and multilateral levels, including agriculture, education, health, and cybersecurity, as well as supporting each other’s candidature to positions in international organisations.
On a bilateral level, Ms Botchwey said the two countries recognised the potential and the need to deepen cooperation in areas such as agriculture, health and education, as well as identify new areas for collaboration.
“In this regard, I encouraged the Israeli business delegation to take advantage of the expanded opportunities provided by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by investing in Ghana considering the conducive business environment,” she added.
On trade and investment, Ms Botchwey said the two countries also agreed to work together to expand the scope of trade relations and urged Israeli businesses to take advantage of Ghana’s political stability and conducive business environment.
On multilateral issues, the Minister reiterated Ghana’s position that the “Two-State Solution” remained the most viable path to addressing the Palestinian issues and obtaining lasting peace and security in the Middle East.
Ms Botchwey praised Israel’s contribution towards Ghana’s socio-economic development, especially in human resource development.
She also recognised Israel’s contribution towards Ghana’s infrastructure development, including assisting with the construction and provision of equipment for the 617-bed University of Ghana Medical Center for efficient health care delivery in the country.
Mr Cohen, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, said his visit would strengthen the relations between Ghana and Israel.
“The purpose of our meeting and bilateral relation is to strengthen the relations between the government, the people, the cooperation in the multinational arena and to work together in fields like agriculture, water management, cybersecurity and homeland security,” he said.
“I’m sure that this visit will upgrade the level of the relations between our countries, it will be fruitful results to our problems.”
Mr Cohen also said Ghana’s future was bright despite the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: GNA
