First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic, who is on an official visit to the Republic of Ghana, met today with President of the Republic of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Minister Dacic thanked the President of Ghana for the warm hospitality and recalled that the former Yugoslavia and Ghana were the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement and that Ghana was the first African country to gain independence 62 years ago. The Serbian Foreign Minister noted that this year we would mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between then Yugoslavia, present-day Serbia, and Ghana.
Minister Dacic pointed out that the exchange of visits between Serbia and Ghana and stepping up the cooperation between the two states indicated that the friendship between Serbia and Ghana was not confined only to the past and that it was in the interest of these countries to develop relations both today and in the future.

Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo said that Serbia and Ghana had close relations and that the conditions were good to exchange visits at the highest level and to carry out successful cooperation in the fields of economy, IT, culture, education and other areas.

The collocutors agreed that the traditionally friendly relations between the two countries that had a long and rich history dating back to the time of Ghana's independence days offered an excellent basis for the promotion of cooperation in all areas. In this meeting, they also pointed out that the Presidents of the two countries, Tito and Nkrumah, were great friends and that close historical ties and cooperation should be continued and intensified.

The Ghanaian President and the Serbian Foreign Minister agreed that the relations between the two countries, marred seven years ago by Ghana's decision regarding the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo and Metohija, should be revived. Minister Dacic informed the Ghanaian President of the course of the Belgrade-Pristina on-going dialogue. The Minister emphasized that the question of dialogue actually concerned the preservation of the territorial integrity of Serbia. He underlined that this problem may affect any country in the world should the policy of unilateral acts be pursued.

The Minister asked his collocutor to maintain a status-neutral position pending the conclusion of the dialogue and to honor the outcome of the dialogue which would be presented in the United Nations.

During his visit to Ghana, Minister Dacic also met with Defense Minister Dominic Nitiwul. The two Ministers agreed that the traditional friendship should be cherished and promoted in the mutual interest.
Minister Dacic invited his hosts to pay a visit to Serbia at the earliest convenience.