Accra, Feb. 29, GNA – Alhaji Muhammed Mumuni, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, on Wednesday said in Parliament that Cabinet had approved proposals submitted by the Ministry, to establish new missions in some countries.

These are Ankara, Turkey and a Consulate-General in Guanghou, provincial capital of Guangdong, Southern China.

The Minister explained that this was in view of the economic and commercial potentials that existed in these countries for the mutual benefit of the people.

On Turkey, Alhaji Mumuni said in December 2010, Africa and Turkey adopted the joint implementation Plan 2010-2014 of the Turkish-Africa Partnership, to strengthen the co-operative relationship between African countries and Turkey in inter-government and institutional co-operation, trade and investment, agriculture and agro-business, health, peace and security, infrastructure, energy, transport and tourism.

This followed the declaration of Turkey as one of the strategic partners of African countries by the African Union Summit in January 2008, and also followed by the first Turkey Africa Cooperation Summit in Istanbul in August 2008 to provide momentum to the development of Turkish-African relations.

Alhaji Mumuni noted that Turkey had shown great interest in Ghana with the establishment of a diplomatic mission in Accra, in February 2010, to enhance her relations with Ghana, and established a Consulate in Kumasi to be in-charge of the northern part of Ghana.

He said the turning point of Ghana-Turkey relation was the two-day official visit to Ghana in March 2011 by Turkish President Abdullah Gul, accompanied by a 100-member business delegation.

Alhaji Mumuni said that Turkish Government promised to invest 50 billion dollars towards the realisation of the Turkish-Africa Partnership Agreement, and the implementation of the Joint Implementation Plan of 2010-2014 of the Turkey-Africa Partnership.

He said volume of trade between Turkey and Ghana increased from 175 million dollars in 2009 to 440 million dollars by the end of 2011, and noted that it was estimated that this would increase to one billion dollars by 2015.

Alhaji Mumuni noted that of the 54 African Countries that participated in the conference, 11 of them in Sub-Saharan Africa, had established their embassies in Ankara, Turkey and 10 more African countries pledged to follow suit before 2012.

He said the establishment of a Consulate-General in China was due to the large Ghanaian community there.

The Minister said it was also due to the inability of the Ghana Mission in Beijing to cover effectively Guangzhou as a result of the distance between the two cities, the cost involved as well as the inability to establish an Honorary Consulate in the Province because of the Chinese Government’s policy of not allowing Honorary Consulate in main land China.

Alhaji Mumuni said Ghana's Embassy in China was located in Beijing, the northern part of China, while the city of Guangzhou in the Guangdong Province, located in the southern part of China, was 2000 kilometres from Beijing.

Meanwhile, Serbian Government has requested the closure of its Consulate in Accra due to Ghana’s recognition of Kosovo, and Ghana had no choice than to order the complete closure of her mission in Belgrade.