Speaking of the two countries’ 59-year history of diplomatic relations, Deputy Speaker Milicevic said that Yugoslavia was among the first states to support Ghana’s fight for independence and that Serbia is interested in continuing to develop these traditionally friendly and good relations. He stressed that the Ghanaian Parliament Speaker’s recent visit to the National Assembly has lent a considerable boost to the improvement of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Ghanaian Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchway agreed that it is important to advance the overall bilateral relations between the two states, dating back to the Non-Aligned Movement.

Speaking of Serbia’s foreign policy priorities, the National Assembly Deputy Speaker said that these include EU accession, as well as maintaining the relations with traditionally friendly states such as the Republic of Ghana.

The officials also spoke about the problems in Kosovo-Metohija and the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. Deputy Speaker Milicevic said he hoped that, like some friendly African states, Ghana would reconsider the decision to recognize the independence of the self-declared state of Kosovo, which Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchway confirmed. Milicevic said that this was a matter of some importance for Serbia and that Serbia is committed to address all the outstanding issues through dialogue to secure a lasting and sustainable solution and stability, as well as preserve the property and cultural heritage in Kosovo-Metohija.

The National Assembly Deputy Speaker and the Ghanaian Foreign Minister also spoke about improving interparliamentary relations by intensifying the cooperation between the working bodies, parliamentary friendship groups and the standing delegations of the Serbian and Ghanaian parliaments. They also spoke about increasing the volume of trade and boosting economic and military-economic cooperation, as well as cooperation in the field of education.