Foreign Affairs Ministry Reacts To IGP’s “Mind Your Business” Letter To British High Commissioner

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has disclosed that it has contacted both the Inspector General of Police, George Akufo Dapare and the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson over the former’s letter to the latter.

It stated that “the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has noted with concern the intense public debate that has been generated by the communication between the Inspector General of Police and the British High Commissioner in Accra”.

The Ministry however failed to make pronouncements on the matter indicating that “it is in line with the general diplomatic practice of communicating with diplomatic missions through direct engagement”.

The Ministry affirmed its “commitment to the strong historical bonds between Ghana and the United Kingdom”.

The statement from the Ministry seems to have pleased the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) who had called out the IGP for drafting such a letter to a diplomat.

In a tweet, the NDC Member of Parliament for the North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa commended the Ministry for the “timely” reaction to the issue.

“An impressive and timely intervention by Ghana’s Foreign Ministry. This is commendable”

The National Secretary of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi also tweeted, “IGP Dampare thrown under the bus by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government”.

In a letter dated May 20, 2022, addressed to Harriet, the IGP rebuked her for a tweet she made about the second arrest of activist Oliver Barker Vormawor and noted that her action was a breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relation, 1961 which enjoins missions not to meddle in the internal affairs of a host country.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini