Prez Receives Envoys At Jubilee House

Ms Anneli Vuorinen, Finland's Envoy to Ghana, proposing a toast with President Mills after presenting her letters of credence. President John Evans Atta Mills yesterday conducted his first official assignment at the Jubilee House since becoming Head of State in January. On his first official mission at the Jubilee House, the President received letters of credence from three envoys accredited to Ghana from Italy, Finland and Mexico. Although no official reasons were assigned for the move, sources close to the Presidency said the government regarded the Jubilee House as part of the estates under the Presidency. They said consequently, the President would, with the passage of time, conduct some official assignments at the Jubilee House which the government considered a veritable national asset. Receiving the letters of credence from the envoys, President Mills underscored the need for developed nations such as Finland not to abandon countries in the developing world such as Ghana whose economy had been seriously challenged due to the global credit crunch. He told the Envoy of Finland, Ms Anneli Vuorinen, that the global economic meltdown had impacted seriously on the economy of Third World countries which were mainly producers of commodities in their raw form. President Mills said even though the event had eroded the economic bases of developed nations, resulting in their manufacturing concerns declaring redundancies in their thousands, they must, nevertheless, continue to give assistance to Third World countries. He said there was the tendency, during such harsh moments, for governments of developed nations to roll out financial bail outs to their distressed industries and momentarily consign the needs of developing countries to the background. The President said Finland had considerable expertise in science and technology which it could share with Ghana to help develop its agricultural and industrial sectors. For her part, Ms Vuorinen congratulated the people of Ghana on using the ballot box to elect their political office holders, stressing that Ghana had shown the way for all African countries to follow. She said her government was prepared to support the government in its bid to turn the economy around and improve on the material conditions of the people. President Mills, in his interaction with the Italian envoy, Mr Luca Fratini, noted the cordial relationship between Ghana and Italy which, he said, dated back to the First Republic under President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana. He recalled the support that Italy extended to Ghana through the construction of the Akosombo Dam and the Tema Oil Refinery which had helped immensely in the social and economic development of the country. The President called for the deepening of relations between the two countries for the mutual benefit of their peoples. Responding, the Italian Envoy praised Ghana for her democratic credentials which would encourage the investor community to invest in the various sectors of the Ghanaian economy. Mr Fratini said Italy regarded Ghana as one of her closest pals in African, for which reason it would continue to render unqualified assistance towards Ghana’s quest to revamp its economy. In his deliberations with the Mexican Envoy, President Mills said Ghana and Mexico, being developing economies, should share experiences which could improve the quality of life for their peoples. He said the two countries should explore more ways of exchanging ideas in areas where they had comparative advantage, stressing that Ghana, for instance, had a lot to learn from the Mexican tourism industry. Replying, Mr Luis Alberto Stahi commended Ghana for going through another historic polls which culminated in the election of Members of Parliament (MPs ) and a President. He said his country was ever prepared to share her expertise, especially in the tourism industry, with Ghana, stressing that the development of the tourism sector could earn Ghana substantial amounts in foreign exchange annually. DAILY GRAPHIC