Ghana’s Ambassador to Croatia, Benedict Batabe Assorow, has called for stronger and more practical cooperation between Ghana and Croatia.
He said both countries had to move beyond cordial political relations and establish structured engagements that would deepen their partnership and deliver tangible benefits to their peoples.
Mr Assorow made the call when he presented his Letters of Credence to the President of Croatia, Zoran Milanović, at a ceremony in Zagreb that formally accredited him as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Ghana to the Republic of Croatia.
The ceremony brought together Croatian authorities and members of the Ghanaian delegation, who had received a warm welcome since their arrival in the Croatian capital.
"It is Ghana's firm desire to work closely with Croatia to give fresh and practical momentum to our bilateral relations.
We believe the time has come to move our partnership beyond cordial political goodwill into concrete cooperation that delivers real and lasting benefits to the peoples of both countries," he said.
Mutual interest
Mr Assorow urged both countries to establish regular bilateral political consultations to provide a structured framework for advancing issues of mutual interest and strengthening cooperation.
He expressed hope that such engagements would pave the way for exchanges of high-level visits involving foreign ministers and heads of state.
He also underscored Ghana's desire to build on more than three decades of diplomatic relations with Croatia and create mechanisms that would sustain cooperation in political, economic and technological fields.
"We believe the time has come to move our partnership beyond cordial political goodwill into concrete cooperation that delivers real and lasting benefits to the peoples of both countries.
Ghana and Croatia share a commitment to democracy, the rule of law and constitutional governance," he stated.
Progressive partnership
Mr Assorow, who is also the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ghana to the Holy See (Rome), used the occasion to signal Ghana's intention to give fresh momentum to those relations and expand cooperation into areas that would generate lasting benefits.
He said Croatia's expertise in infrastructure, maritime industries, green energy and technology made the European country a valuable development partner.
Mr Assorow highlighted Ghana's economic transformation agenda, which has focused on infrastructure development, the 24-Hour Economy, agricultural modernisation, value addition and job creation.
"It is my hope that, as the relationship deepens, these consultations will in due course be complemented by the exchange of high-level visits, beginning with engagements at the level of Foreign Ministers and, at an appropriate time, extending to the level of Heads of State," he said.
He also drew attention to Ghana's strategic position as host of the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which has brought together more than 50 countries and a market of over 1.4 billion people.
"This positions Ghana as a strategic gateway for partners such as Croatia seeking to engage the African continent and its growing single market," he said.
Mr Assorow pledged to work towards strengthening ties between the two countries and expressed confidence that support from President Milanović and Croatian institutions would help advance that objective.
