Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, has bid farewell to Mrs Diana Acconcia, the outgoing European Union (EU) Ambassador to Ghana.

This was when Mrs Acconcia paid a farewell call on the Minister, at the end of her three-year tour of duty as Head of the EU Delegation to Ghana.

Madam Botchway congratulated the Ambassador on the successful completion of her tour of duty and acknowledged that bilateral relations between Ghana and the EU witnessed active engagements and growth during her tenure.

She lauded the Ambassador for the successful organisation of the annual Ghana-EU Political Dialogues, which afforded both sides the opportunity to discuss pertinent issues of mutual interests.

She said the increasing development assistance Ghana was receiving from the EU was a reflection of the strong bilateral relations and that the development cooperation supported critical programmes towards the country’s socio-economic development.

The Foreign Minister expressed appreciation for the signing of an 87-million-euro special emergency budget support agreement between Ghana and the EU in 2020 to assist the country’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Madam Botchwey commended the EU for its funding of the COVAX facility, which made it possible for low and middle-income countries to benefit from the COVID-19 vaccines, in line with the EU’s commitment to ensuring equitable access.

She applauded the launch of the Multi-stakeholder Dialogue on Sustainable Cocoa by the European Commission to provide recommendations for the sustainability of the cocoa supply chain.

The Minister reiterated the commitment of Ghana to collaborate with the EU and other stakeholders to ensure its cocoa production promoted good forest cover, eliminated child labour and secured the socio-economic well-being of cocoa farmers.

She highlighted the importance of the official presentation of the Final Report of the 2020 EU Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Ghana by Chief Observer, MEP Javier Nart, in Accra on 12th April, 2021, as the recommendations would facilitate improvement in Ghana’s democratic governance.

The Minister lauded the EU support for peace and security within West Africa and the Sahel as well as the EU commitment to the multilateral system, with the UN at its core.

This is alongside other regional organisations, especially the AU, ECOWAS, and the G5 Sahel in the maintenance of international peace and security.

Madam Botchwey expressed satisfaction with EU’s involvement and commitment to resolving the crisis in Mali and maintaining security in the sub-region.

She congratulated the outgoing Ambassador for her intervention in President Akufo-Addo’s travel to Brussels in May, during which mutually beneficial bilateral talks were held with the European Commission.

Mrs Acconcia gave the assurance that the EU would continue to support Ghana in her development efforts.