From Kwaku Osei Bonsu, GNA Special Correspondent Sharm El-Sheikh

Sharm El-Sheikh, July 1, GNA - Ghana and the Republic of Serbia have pledged to deepen their bilateral relations for the mutual benefit of their peoples.

This followed talks held between President John Agyekum Kufuor and his counterpart from the landlocked European country, President Boris Tadic, on the sidelines of the 11th African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government Summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. They said they wanted to see growing interaction between the two countries.

President Kufuor, also met separately with other high profile personalities, including the United Nations (UN) Deputy Secretary General, Ms Asha-Rose Migiro and the Managing Director of the World Bank, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Ms. Migiro conveyed to President Kufuor, the UN Chief's appreciation for Ghana's leadership in resolving political crisis particularly in the West African Sub-Region.

She specifically mentioned bloody conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d' Ivoire and said the Ghana deserved commendation for the role it played to help restore peace and security to these countries.

Ms Migiro expressed the UN's concern about the rising food and record energy costs threatening to reverse existing advances towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

It is estimated that, the high food prices and climate change together could drive over 100 million people into extreme poverty. This would undo most of the gains the world's poor have made over the last decade,

Ms Migiro said it was on account of this that the UN Secretary General would be holding a high level meeting on the MDGs in New York in the coming September and extended an invitation to President Kufuor.

President Kufuor reiterated the need for urgent global action to address the crude oil and food price hike to save the economies of the developing countries.

The discussions with Dr Okonjo-Iweala were held behind closed doors but believed to have centred on how to keep Ghana's economy on the growth track in the face of the turmoil on the global financial market.