Each year, Russia's National Day assumes a greater significance, symbolising the unity of its nation and people as they navigate through the ongoing revolutionary changes in the world. Bearing witness to a profound and irreversible transformation, the imbalanced model that had long fuelled the economic growth of former colonial powers is now undergoing a remarkable shift. Presently, not only the future of Russia but the entire world rests in our collective hands, demanding a shared responsibility.
During recent years as Russia solidifies its position as a leading global power, it has begun to pose a formidable challenge to Western hegemony. In response, the United States and its partners have actively kindled the conflict in Ukraine over the years, effectively triggering a new form of hybrid warfare against Russian nation. In February 2022, a special military operation was initiated to protect Russian-speaking people in their historical lands, safeguard state security, and neutralize the dangers coming from the Ukrainian puppet government.
The West bears sole responsibility for instigating and escalating the conflict in Ukraine, callously sacrificing the lives of the Ukrainian people for their own vested interests. Faced with their inability to overcome Russia on the battlefield, the mentors of the Kiev regime have resorted to implementing numerous economic sanctions and engaging in increasingly aggressive informational warfare. Western media outlets fabricate falsehoods and distort historical facts.
In the overarching atmosphere of Russophobic rhetoric, a concerted campaign has been unleashed to falsify history, particularly with regards to diminishing Russia's crucial role in the World War II and its extraordinary contribution to the eradication of Nazism. This reprehensible propaganda extends beyond historical revisionism which is being accompanied with the demolition of monuments, memorials, and cemeteries honoring the heroic efforts of the Soviet Union and its people in liberating Europe. Regrettably, such wanton acts are currently unfolding in the Baltic States, Poland, and Ukraine. This blatant situation vividly illustrates the West's inclination to forget the lessons of that war, fostering the dangerous notion of their own superiority and political supremacy.
The West's aggression extends beyond military and information warfare, it also seeks to entangle Russia in an economic battle. The European Union and the United States have openly declared an all-out economic and trade war, disregarding Russia's crucial role as a major global supplier of basic agricultural products and fertilisers to Africa and the Middle East. To date, the EU, the USA, and their partners have imposed over a thousand restrictive measures targeting Russian individuals, enterprises, and companies. Western financial and commercial entities have ceased almost all cooperation and severed ties with Russia.
Despite numerous attempts to disrupt Russia's economic ties and undermine its financial system, Russia's resilience remains unyielding. The economic stability and robust balance of payments allow to overcome challenges and redirect trade policies from the West towards Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Russia is open for constructive dialogue with those seeking honest partnerships and those who share fundamental values such as respect for rights, equality before the law, and a commitment to global security.
Enhancement of the Russian-African cooperation in various sectors, including food and energy security, is a top priority. Russia is committed to strengthen ties in diverse domains such as humanitarian and scientific spheres, healthcare, and other related fields and to expand trade and investment with African nations.
On January 14, 2023, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Ghana celebrated the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between two countries.
During Ghana's early years of independence, its first President, Kwame Nkrumah, pursued a policy of economic sovereignty, seeking to reduce the influence of Western countries that controlled key sectors of the economy and industrial production. Ghana decided to forge trade and economic relations with the Soviet Union. In the early 1960s, USSR actively participated in the construction of several industrial facilities in Ghana, including fishing enterprises, a refinery, concrete, brick and tile factories, paper mills, cotton factories, and a 200 MW hydroelectric power station on the Black Volta River as well as many others.
By 1966, the projects stipulated by the agreements were either operational or near completion. A research nuclear reactor was ready for startup, and a gold refinery was set to open.
Unfortunately, a coup d'état took place on February 24, 1966, resulting in the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah and effectively curtailing Soviet-Ghanaian cooperation. Soviet specialists were forced to leave the country, and bilateral trade dropped to almost zero. Overall, the period from 1961 to 1966 marked a "golden era" in Soviet-Ghanaian relations, characterized by rapid development and a high level of trust that enabled the implementation of complex and financially demanding projects within a short timeframe.
In 1981, President Jerry Rawlings revitalised mutually beneficial partnership with the Soviet Union. In December 1982, a new Agreement on technical and economic cooperation was signed with the USSR. In the late 1980s, several other agreements were concluded such as consular conventions, protocols on the mutual recognition of educational documents and scientific degrees, as well as on the political consultations. The intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, technical, and scientific cooperation was also established.
The collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s led to another downturn in Russian-Ghanaian political and economic relations. It was only in the early 2000s when bilateral cooperation began slowly restoring with the establishment of the Russian-Ghanaian Chamber of Commerce and the Russian-Ghanaian parliamentary group of friendship, serving as a starting point for the progressive revival of relations at the present stage.
It is worth mentioning that in October 2019, a Ghanaian delegation led by H.E. President Nana Akufo-Addo participated in the first Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi. A wide range of issues, including the development of scientific and educational cooperation was discussed there. In particular, the Ghanaian side requested to enlarge the governmental quota for Ghanaian students to study in Russian higher educational institutions on a tuition-free basis, which was raised from 70 to 110 scholarships. Currently, more than 900 Ghanaians are pursuing bachelor's, master's, and specialist's programs in Russia, with over 300 of them on a free of charge basis.
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Within the framework of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation (IGC) established in 2014, there is a promising collaboration in various spheres: trade and investments, economic and industrial cooperation, energy, geology and mineral resources, agriculture as well as science and education. We hope that the fourth meeting of the IGC, potentially taking place this year in Accra, will reinforce and strengthen Russian-Ghanaian partnership.
The bilateral trade between our countries has witnessed growth and diversification in recent years. Over the past decade, trade volume has steadily increased, with both capitals actively working toward diversifying their economic cooperation. In 2022, the total trade turnover surpassed 220 million US Dollars, showcasing substantial progress made in bilateral relations.
Russia warmly welcomes H.E. President Nana Akufo-Addo's decision to accept the invitation to participate in the second Russia-Africa Summit, scheduled to be held at the end of July this year in St.Petersburg. This visit will undoubtedly provide a fresh impetus to the mutually beneficial partnership between Russia and Ghana.
BY SERGEI BERDNIKOV
[The writer is the Russian Ambassador to Ghana]
