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Ghana and the State of Israel have renewed commitments to the fight against climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
To that end, Tuesday, the two countries signed a “Joint Declaration of Intent on Cooperation,” to work to prevent the impact of the climate crisis and protect the environment.
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, initialled the agreement for his country after bilateral talks in Accra.
Mr Cohen is in Ghana on a two-day working visit.
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 accompanied him.
Briefing the media after the talks, Ms Botchwey said the signing of the pact between the two countries indicated the importance both parties attached to issues of climate change and its effects on the environment.
She said talks 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 the 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 agreed to work to expand the scope of trade relations and urged Israeli businesses to take advantage of Ghana’s political stability and conducive business environment
The Minister reiterated Ghana’s position that a negotiated two-state solution remained the most viable path to ensure lasting peace, security and prosperity for both Israel and Palestine and in the Middle East.
She acknowledged the over six decades of diplomatic ties between Ghana and the State of Israel and praised her contribution to Ghana’s socio-economic development, especially in human resource development.
She also recognised Israel’s contribution to Ghana’s infrastructure development, including aiding the construction and provision of equipment for the 617-bed University of Ghana Medical Center for efficient health care delivery.
Mr Cohen, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, said his visit would further strengthen the relations between Ghana and Israel.
“The purpose of our meeting and bilateral relation is to strengthen the relations between the government, between the people, the cooperation in the multinational arena and to work together in fields like agriculture, water management, cybersecurity, and homeland security.
“I’m sure that this visit will upgrade the level of the relations between our countries, it will be fruitful results to our problems,” he said.
Source: GNA
Emmanuel Ameyaw
