Six envoys present letters of credence to President Mills

Accra, Feb. 11, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills on Thursday requested the European Union (EU) to continue its support to Ghana to bui= ld on the modest economic gains it achieved last year.

He said though Government chalked some successes last year, there wa= s still a lot to be done and that would require further assistance from the= EU and other development partners. President Mills made the request when he received letters of credenc= e from six envoys accredited to Ghana at the Jubilee House in Accra.

They are Mr Clauden Maerten, EU; Mr Rafek Salim Abudalfa, State of Palestine Ambassador; Mr Larbi Katti, Algeria; Mr Miloslav Machalek, the Czech Republic; Mr Vladimir Barbin, the Russian Federation; and Dr Ali Ah= med Aghadban, Libya.

President Mills traced Ghana's bond and ties with the EU and the oth= er nations and made a strong case for African unity to propel her as the nex= t global economic giant.

He was particularly thankful for the role of the EU in Ghana's successful elections in 2008, and the EU being a focal point in Ghana's co-operation with countries in Europe. Mr Maerten commended the Government for the start of a review of Ghana's Constitution.

At the turn of Mr Abdulafa, President Mills stated that Ghana believ= ed that right remained right, and maintained that there must peace in the Middle East. Mr Abdulafa with best wishes for Ghana, said the State of Palestine had strong faith that Ghana supported its just cause and its national rise fo= r freedom.

The Ambassador recalled with fond memories the political philosophie= s of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first President, and praised Presid= ent Mills for his development efforts. At the turn of Mr Katti, President Mills recalled that the relations=

between Ghana and Algeria dated back to the days of Dr Nkrumah and Muhamm= ad Ahmad Bin Balla, the third President of Algeria.

President Mills expressed the need for the two nations to take their=

relations further for technical co-operation.

He called on African nations to get closer to one another for econom= ic progress. Mr. Katti promised to ensure better relations between the two nation= s during his duty tour in Ghana.

At the turn of the Ambassadors from the Czech Republic and Russian Republic, President Mills invited the nations to make Ghana a preferred investment destination.

He recognised with appreciation that a number of Ghanaians had recei= ved their profession training in the two countries.

The President urged the two envoys to use their stay to foster enhan= ced relations and investment for mutual benefits. President Mills recognised the assistance Libya gave to Ghana in the=

1980s and the 1990s and the role of the Libyan Leader Muamar Gaddafi in t= he African unity agenda.