We await your end of the agreement - Shirley Botchwey to Qatar on Agreement on Mutual Visa Exemption

Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey with her Qatari counterpart, Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Jassim Al Thani

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has reminded the government of Qatar that Ghana is awaiting the ratification of the Agreement on Mutual Visa Exemption for the Holders of Diplomatic and Special Passports between Ghana and Qatar.

This was after she told her counterpart, Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Jassim Al Thani, the Foreign Minister of Qatar, during her official visit to the State of Qatar.

Shirley Botchwey is in Qatar to deliver a special message from President Nana Addo Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to His Highness the Emir; a message which is geared towards consolidating the existing friendly ties between the two countries.

As part of her interactions with her counterpart, she told him of the progress Ghana has made on the ratification of the Agreement and indicated the country's hopes of having them do same soon.

"The Parliament of Ghana has duly ratified the Agreement on Mutual Visa Exemption for the Holders of Diplomatic and Special Passports between the two countries. Consequently, Ghana looks forward to receiving notice of ratification from the Government of Qatar to pave way for its operationalization," she said.

She also took the opportunity thank the government of Qatar for the weekly Qatar Airways flight to Accra despite the constraints posed by the coronavirus.

"The Government of Ghana appreciates the concrete steps taken by the two countries to strengthen diplomatic ties following the reciprocal visit of their two heads of state, particularly the inauguration of a weekly Qatar Airways flight to Accra, despite the constraints posed by the raging pandemic," she said.

Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey further expressed the intentions of the government of Ghana to tap from the "skills and the expertise of the private sector of Qatar, especially in the area of Oil and Gas for mutual benefit."

In this regard, she urged her counterpart to use his good offices to encourage Qatari businessmen and investors to take advantage of the conducive investment climate in Ghana to invest in the country.

The Foreign Affairs minister is in Qatar until Thursday, March 4, 2021.