The Government of Ghana has successfully evacuated the first group of its citizens from Iran to Turkey, as part of a broader emergency response to escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Plans are also underway to evacuate Ghanaian nationals currently residing in Israel.
Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced the development in a Facebook post on Friday, June 20, noting that the move followed diplomatic engagements with the Ambassadors of Israel and Iran earlier in the week.
“So far, the first batch of Ghanaians in Iran has been evacuated to Turkey successfully. Our fellow nationals living in Israel will be evacuated shortly,” he stated.
The Foreign Minister explained that the meetings with Israeli Ambassador H.E. Roey Gilad on Tuesday and Iranian Ambassador H.E. Ali Ghomshi on Wednesday were part of President John Mahama’s administration’s emergency evacuation strategy. He also noted that these engagements deepened Ghana’s understanding of the evolving conflict in the region.
Okudzeto Ablakwa also revealed that during his meeting with the Israeli Ambassador, he firmly expressed Ghana’s displeasure over recent public comments made by the envoy regarding Ghana’s voting behavior at international forums.
“I urged him to respect our sovereign right to make independent decisions based on our longstanding, globally acclaimed foreign policy principles...These are anchored on Ghana’s national interest as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, our pacifist approach to peacebuilding, non-alignment, respect for the UN Charter, belief in multilateralism, adherence to a rules-based international order, and strict compliance with international law," he said.
He reaffirmed that these principles will continue to guide Ghana’s stance in international affairs, particularly as the country currently serves on the UN Human Rights Council and chairs the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).