The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana, Charles Owiredu, and the Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Amb. Julian Ventura, Tuesday, co-chaired the second meeting under the Bilateral Political Consultations Mechanism. The meeting took place via video conference.

The first meeting of political consultations between Ghana and Mexico, held in Accra in August 2019, was an important step towards forging a stronger and sustainable political dialogue between the two countries. Since then, the level of collaboration has been strengthened over a broader range of issues spanning education, agriculture and commerce. The two sides also supported the development of closer links between their societies.

Charles Owiredu and Amb. Julian Ventura, during the meeting, discussed regional and global issues of common interest and reiterated the commitment of their respective governments to multilateralism and international law. They referred to the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat in Accra and further agreed that there exists a great potential for collaboration, by leveraging the close ties between the two countries. They also charged their respective authorities to explore concrete cooperation schemes, including through the use of virtual meetings and seminars.

While discussing global efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic, the two Deputy Ministers agreed on the need to maintain a spirit of mutual solidarity and stressed on the urgency of attending to the needs of the most vulnerable populations.

As a recently-elected non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for 2021-2022, Mexico reiterated its commitment to act with transparency and openness while maintaining a close dialogue with its African partners, in particular on the issues on the Council´s agenda that most directly affect them. The two governments agreed to maintain frequent informal consultations among relevant offices in their respective capital cities, as well as between their Permanent Missions to the United Nations in New York.

In conclusion, Mexico and Ghana pledged their commitment to further enhancing their collaboration and friendship. Deputy Secretary Ventura reiterated the standing invitation for Hon. Owiredu to visit Mexico City as a reciprocal visit to that of his visit to Ghana, to hold further consultations under this bilateral mechanism.