Hon. James Gyakye Quayson, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Member of Parliament for Assin‑North, has held bilateral talks with Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Marko Đurić, at the Ministry in Belgrade as part of a three‑day working visit.
During the meeting, Hon. Quayson conveyed fraternal greetings from Ghana’s President, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, and Foreign Minister, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP). He recalled the historic ties between Ghana and Serbia, rooted in the visionary leadership of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and President Josip Broz Tito, founding fathers of the Non‑Aligned Movement (NAM).
The Deputy Minister reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity enshrined in the UN Charter and NAM’s guiding values. He expressed appreciation to Serbia for its solidarity on multilateral issues, particularly support for the UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/80/250, which declared the transatlantic slave trade and the enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.
Hon. Quayson emphasized the importance of the reciprocal opening of embassies — Serbia in Accra (2021) and Ghana in Belgrade (2024) — as pivotal to strengthening diplomatic, political, and economic cooperation. He highlighted Ghana’s democratic governance and recent macroeconomic gains, citing the stability of the cedi, declining inflation, and the government’s Big Push programme, a multi‑billion‑dollar infrastructure initiative aimed at industrial transformation, job creation, and economic expansion.
On his part, Minister Đurić welcomed the Ghanaian delegation, describing Ghana as “a sincere friend and one of Serbia’s most valued partners on the African continent.” He expressed gratitude for Ghana’s support of Serbia’s sovereignty and invited Ghana to participate in the 65th Anniversary of the Non‑Aligned Movement in Belgrade on September 1, 2026.
Minister Đurić also thanked Ghana for confirming its participation in Expo 2027, scheduled from May 15 to August 15, 2027, and urged both countries to leverage the event to expand cooperation in sports, culture, trade, and other sectors. He highlighted Serbia’s sustained economic progress, noting the ICT sector’s contribution of over 10 percent to GDP, and its competitive edge in engineering, artificial intelligence, and robotics.
Recalling his visit to Accra in July 2025, Minister Đurić pointed to ongoing cooperation in sports, culture, defense, agriculture, education, and labour mobility. He concluded by extending an invitation from President Alexander Vučić to President Mahama for an official visit to Serbia, alongside a personal invitation to Foreign Minister Ablakwa.
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