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The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has urged the Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Roey Gilad, to respect Ghana’s sovereign right to make independent decisions on international matters.

In a recent engagement with the media at his residence in Accra, the Israeli Ambassador to Ghana expressed Israel’s disappointment in Ghana for abstaining from a vote supporting a declaration that Iran is in breach of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations.

In a Facebook post on Friday, June 20, Mr Ablakwa revealed that during a meeting earlier this week with the Israeli Ambassador, he registered Ghana’s firm displeasure over his recent remarks.

“It is worth emphasising that in the meeting with the Israeli Ambassador, I registered Ghana’s strong displeasure at his recent public pronouncements questioning Ghana’s voting pattern at international organisations,” he said in the post.

Ablakwa urges Israeli Ambassador to respect Ghana's sovereign right to make independent decisions — Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Roey Gilad, at the meeting held in Accra on Tuesday, June, 17

According to Mr Ablakwa, he underscored that Ghana’s decisions on international issues are guided by well-established foreign policy principles rooted in the 1992 Constitution.

These include a commitment to peace-building, non-alignment, respect for the United Nations Charter, adherence to the rule-based international order, belief in multilateralism, and strict compliance with international law.

“I urged him to respect our sovereign right to make independent decisions based on our longstanding globally acclaimed foreign policy principles anchored on Ghana’s national interest as espoused by the 1992 Constitution, pacifist approach to peace building, non-alignment, respect for the UN Charter, adherence to the rule-based international order, belief in multilateralism and strict compliance with international law.”

He said he reiterated at the meeting that Ghana’s position on global matters is consistent and principled, and will remain guided by its constitutional values and international obligations.

The meeting formed part of a broader diplomatic engagement held this week with the Israeli and Iranian Ambassadors in Accra, as the government seeks to protect Ghanaian citizens in the Middle East amidst ongoing tensions.

Ghana has successfully evacuated the first group of its nationals from Iran to Turkey, as part of an emergency response to rising tensions in the Middle East. The Minister said those in Israel will also be considered as soon as possible.