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| Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey |
ACCRA, Feb 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayokor Botchwey has invited parents and guardians of all Ghanaian nationals in Ukraine to a meeting.
The meeting is scheduled to take place at the Accra International Conference Centre on March 1.
A statement issued by the Ministry said “In view of the prevailing precarious security situation in Ukraine which has necessitated the evacuation of Ghanaian nationals among others, from the country to safety, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayokor Botchwey is cordially inviting all parents, guardians or relatives of Ghanaian nationals in Ukraine to a meeting on Tuesday, March 1 at the Accra International Conference Center at 10 AM.”
Meanwhile, the Government of Ghana (GoG) has cautioned the general public to be cautious about unscrupulous persons posing as government officials designated to assist in the evacuation exercise for Ghanaian nationals in Ukraine due to the Russia conflict.
This caution was contained in another press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration that was announcing the contact details of persons assigned to assist with the evacuation exercise, on Saturday February 26.
The Government of Ghana is evacuating Ghanaian students to neighboring countries – Moldova, Belarus, Slovakia and Hungary – due to the conflict.
An earlier statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration on Friday February 25 said “The Ministry through its Mission in Berne, Switzerland and the Honourary Consulate in Ukraine are in touch with the Ghanaian students in Ukraine through their leaders.
“A list of students has been compiled to facilitate an evacuation exercise.”
The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) had maintained that evacuating Ghanaian students from Ukraine is the single most effective response to the conflict.
In a petition to the government on Friday February 25, NUGS said “We therefore make the following recommendations which must all be geared ultimately towards evacuation, Parliament should direct and supervise our mission in Switzerland through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take immediate steps to make food, water and sanitary materials available to students while preparation for evacuation is underway.
“The embassy must improve its communication with students and establish formal means of giving out information to reassure the students who are losing hope in our systems.”
Meanwhile, the first batch of Ghanaian students stranded in Ukraine has been safely evacuated to Romania, 3news.com can confirm.
The students, who were in Chernivtsi, were evacuated as part of arrangements made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration via Ghana’s Mission in Berne, Switzerland.
The Ministry on Friday night conceded that as a result of the difficulty in airlifting Ghanaian students due to a shutdown of Ukrainian airspace, arrangements were rather made the evacuation be by land through neighbouring Moldova, Belarus, Slovakia and Hungary.
So far, those in Romania will be taken care of by the Romanian government as per the arrangements made by the Foreign Ministry.
Another batch is on its way to Hungary while a bus will be available on Monday to take the remaining to Poland, whose border is said to be choked. — NNN-GNA
