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Ghana and Iran have affirmed their commitment to deepen collaboration in the oil and gas sector.
President John Dramani Mahama and the Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Ali Akbar Saleh, made the pledge at the Castle, Osu, yesterday.
Mr Saleh, who was in the country for President Mahama’s inauguration was at the Castle to hold discussions with the President.
President Mahama said Iran had rich expertise in the area of oil and gas and it was crucial for that country to train more Ghanaians in oil and gas engineering.
On the Ghana-Iran Joint Committee, he said the committee had already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in five areas, including vocational training and the expansion of the Iran Clinic.
He said the committee, which held its last meeting in 2010, was poised to begin a series of meetings starting from the middle of the year.
He said the expansion of the Iran Clinic was significant to allow it to attend to more patients.
President Mahama described Ghana-Iran relations as historic and expressed the hope that the two countries would be able to lift the ties to a higher level.
He commended Iran for the successful hosting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Conference in 2012 and lauded President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for assuming the Chairmanship of NAM and assured him of Ghana’s support.
President Mahama welcomed an invitation from him to visit Iran and indicated that he would pay that visit as soon as he settled down.
He expressed Ghana’s willingness to host President Ahmadinejad for a state visit.
Dr Saleh gave an assurance that Iran was willing to share experiences with Ghana in the area of oil and gas.
He expressed gratitude to Ghana for supporting Iran in its peaceful nuclear programme.
He reiterated the commitment of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to strengthen its political, trade and cultural relations with Ghana.
On the Iran Clinic, Dr Saleh said Iran wanted to expand the clinic into a hospital to offer more health care to Ghanaians.
Daily Graphic
