Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa the Minister of Foreign Affairs has revealed the first batch of Ghanaians in Iran has been evacuated to Turkey.
The sector minister revealed that he invited the ambassadors of Israel and Iran to his office for separate meetings.
In a post On X he stated, “On Tuesday, I met with H.E. Roey Gilad of Israel and then held talks with H.E. Ali Ghomshi of Iran on Wednesday.
The meetings afforded me the opportunity to convey the Mahama Administration’s emergency evacuation strategy for Ghanaians living in their countries with the two ambassadors for onward communication to their governments to facilitate border access approvals.
So far, the first batch of Ghanaians in Iran have been evacuated to Turkey successfully. Our fellow nationals living in Israel will be evacuated shortly.
These engagements have also enriched our understanding of the ongoing conflict”.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa further revealed he expressed Ghana’s displeasure over recent comments made by the Israeli Ambassador.
His comments come after the following Roey Gilad’s comments made regarding Ghana’s recent vote abstention on Iran’s nuclear compliance at a Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting.
The Israeli Ambassador to Ghana acknowledged Ghana’s sovereign right to abstain.
He however suggested Ghana rethink its longstanding non-aligned policy, which he claimed is heavily influenced by the AU and Arab League.
According to Roey Gilad, Ghana needs a more “balanced” approach to global issues and questioned whether abstention was in the country’s best interest.
“Even though Israel respects Ghana’s sovereignty and non-aligned stance, I don’t know whether this [abstention] serves the best interest of Ghana,” Gilad stated.
Ablakwa stated, “It is worth emphasizing 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 organizations.
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.
These cherished principles will continue to guide Ghana’s foreign policy imperatives within all international organizations, particularly at this defining moment when Ghana is serving on the UN Human Rights Council and chairing the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency”.
Ablakwa further added, “Finally, I re-echoed Ghana’s demand for both countries to a ceasefire and opt for a peaceful diplomatic resolution of their concerns”.
See the post below:
This week, I invited the ambassadors of Israel and Iran to my office for separate meetings.
On Tuesday, I met with H.E. Roey Gilad of Israel and then held talks with H.E. Ali Ghomshi of Iran on Wednesday.
The meetings afforded me the opportunity to convey the Mahama… pic.twitter.com/DkojliTuVa
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) June 20, 2025
