Ghana hopes stronger ties with US

Ghana’s Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur has expressed strong conviction for further growth of the relationship between Ghana and the United States of America (USA), for the mutual benefit of people of the two nations.

He paid tribute to the outgoing US ambassador to Ghana, Mr Donald Teitelbaum, for his role in cementing and increasing the bonds between Ghana and the US during his four-year duty tour.

“It is sad that we are losing you after four years of living here, but we know the good relationship between our two nations will grow further,” Vice President Amissah-Arthur said, when the outgoing ambassador paid a courtesy call on him in Accra on Wednesday.

The Vice President commended the US for its assistance to Ghana, and expressed the hope that the two nations would enhance their bilateral relations in areas, including economics and politics.

Mr Teitelbaum, was sworn in on July 16, 2008.

Vice President Amissah-Arthur said he was proud to be part of the growing relationship, which extended from the state level to the people of the two nations.

In an interview with journalists, Mr Teitelbaum, commended Ghana for the peaceful inter-party transfer of power, and said Ghana  was a very real democratic nation.

The outgoing ambassador said he was optimistic that Ghana would smoothly go through Election 2012.

During his tenure, the relationship of Ghana and US was enhanced with state visit by Former President John Agyekum Kufuor to the US in September2008; US President Barack Obama visit to Ghana in 2009 and a reciprocal state visit to the US by late President Atta Mills last March.

A number of agreements between the two nations were also brokered and Ghana was included in the US Partnership for Growth for Africa, being considered for a second-pact under the Millenium Challenge Account.

US President Obama last April named Gene Cretz,  US ambassador to Libya, to succeed Mr Teitelbaum.

Source: GNA