A ranking member of parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has bemoaned the poor negotiation skills of Ghanaian political heads in dealing with bilateral counterparts.
His comments were in relation to Ghana’s failure to leverage on the United States of American’s military co-operation agreement with Ghana by using it as a bargaining chip to bring finality to the deportation of some 7,000 illegal immigrants.
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Mr Ablakwa who has commended the government’s position on the matter that has since led to the imposition of visa restrictions on Ghana has also asked for caution.
“Ghana needs to tread cautiously in order not to do anything to jeopardize the relationship with the US. The government and the Foreign Affairs Ministry should be careful how they handle such issue and do proper negotiations that will not jeopardize our relationship with the USA),” he stated.
The US Embassy in Ghana, on Monday, commenced the suspension of the issuance of new visas to certain categories of applicants from Ghana.
The US Department of homeland security (DHS) explained the visa sanctions were necessitated by Ghana’s “lack of cooperation” in accepting its citizens ordered removed from the US.
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The DHS in a statement announcing the visa restrictions warned further that Ghana would face more sanctions if the government’s posture does not change.
“Without an appropriate response from Ghana, the scope of these sanctions may be expanded to a wider population,” Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen said.
But Mr Ablakwa, who is also a member of the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, described the Embassy’s statement as “curious” adding that it would be reckless and irresponsible to accept anything from the US.
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Speaking on Adom FM’s morning show “Dwaso Nsem” Tuesday, the MP said the government of Ghana must stand its ground.
He said it was however important that Ghana continues to cherish and deepen the longstanding bilateral relations with the U.S.