Ghana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Ambassador Harold Agyeman, has called on parties involved in the Russia-Ukraine crisis to concede to calls for an immediate ceasefire.
Addressing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, Ambassador Agyeman urged the“Russian Federation to withdraw all its invading troops from the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine”. He indicated that the release of any chemical or biological agents to Ukraine, whether deliberate or accidental, would cause an immeasurable consequence on not only Ukraine but the stability of the global security as well.
Ambassador Agyeman expressed that the country is “concerned by the transmission of the shocks of the war in Ukraine within the global economy and the disproportionate impact that developing countries and small economies are having to bear on account of this war”.
Following this, Ambassador Harold Agyeman expressed that Ghana, as a country, brings to remembrance to the feuding factions their obligation to respect and comply with their commitments under international law, international humanitarian law and human rights laws.
“We call for the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers in Ukraine in accordance with the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 relative to the protection of civilian persons in the time of war”.
Ambassador Harold Agyeman
Ambassador Agyeman explained that Ghana reckons that the demand for an authentication regime for the Biological Weapons Convention is legal. As a consequent, he revealed that such action should be done in a ‘reasonable’ and ‘sensible’ manner.
“In concluding, let me recall Ghana’s long held view that the possession or proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, including chemical and biological weapons, neither assures international peace nor national security. We all, therefore, have a responsibility to ensure that we eliminate such weapons from the present civilization we are seeking to build”.
Ambassador Harold Agyeman
Ghana votes to condemn Russian invasion
Ghana was among other African countries which cast a historic vote to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the UN Security Council. Albania and the United States equally submitted a draft to the UN Security Council to end Russia’s military aggression on Ukraine.
The Council drafted a resolution for cessation of force by the Russian forces and withdrawal of troops from the Ukrainian territory.
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Ghana, Kenya and Gabon who are among the 15- member UN security council all voted in favour of the draft which would have recognised Russia’s invasion as violating Article 2, paragraph 4 of the Charter of the United Nations, had Russia not wielded its veto power.
Following the war between Russia and Ukraine Ghanaian nationals and students in Ukraine, were not absolved of its impact as they struggled to make their way back home from the war-torn Ukraine. As the Ghana government continues to expedite the process of evacuation of Ghanaians from Ukraine, countries such as Hungary has agreed to take in a number of Ghanaian students who fled Ukraine so that they can continue their studies in Europe.
Spaces and resources are being opened up at a number of Hungary’s universities and the students will pay the same fees as they were paying in Ukraine. On March 5, 2022, as part of government’s evacuation efforts of Ghanaians from Ukraine, it released some $2 million dollars to the Foreign Affairs Ministry to evacuate Ghanaians from Ukraine. Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon. Ampratum Sarpong, revealed that the first tranche of the monies needed for the evacuation exercise had been released.
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