An International Relations Expert, Richard Gomado has described as unfortunate government’s handling of the demolishing of the Bulgarian Embassy in Accra.
Speaking to Starr News, Mr. Gomado said Ghana as a sovereign State has the power to stop any construction and cannot fathom why the situation seems unsolvable for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Remember we had a similar situation with some other Embassy and within the diplomatic relations. When it comes to issues like this demolishing the embassy like we have done. Its an attack on their county.
It may have international security ramifications and I think it could have been far better when using the diplomatic channel. Diplomacy instead of going the way we went about it.”
Mr. Gomado said the statement from the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs that suggested that the Ministry had difficulty stopping the work by the Private developer is worrying.
“The statement alone is an indictment on the State (Ghana), we are talking about the State. The State has power over every individual, over every construction of any sort. The State should have been a bit more forceful and a bit more forthright and dealing with this issue.
“There is nothing the State cannot do, particularly when it is an individual who is entrenching on the right of some other embassy. Remember we could also be affected in some other country and what goes around comes around,” he warned.
Mr. Gomado continued “Its unfortunate we are talking about the statement from the State, a State Minister cannot speak that way. Its an indictment its unfortunate. I think we should look back and realign and begin to proceed consciously and proactively as a nation.”
Below is a brief statement from the Bulgarian Embassy
The Bulgarian Embassy’s building in Accra was illegally demolished in 2017. The opponents claiming control over the terrain entered it illegally with heavy equipment in August 2021.
Since then, the Bulgarian side has taken a number of diplomatic actions to protect its rights as the owner of the lease over the property and has repeatedly received assurances that the issue will be resolved quickly.
After the issue was once again raised before the Ghanaian side, the Bulgarian diplomatic mission in Abuja was informed that on March 15, 2022, the Minister of Lands of Ghana has taken the necessary action by issuing an order to stop illegal activities on Bulgarian property and confirmed what has been already ruled by Ghana’s Supreme Court – that the property is Bulgarian until the lease agreement’s expiration in 2033.
The Bulgarian side continues the dialogue with the Ghanaian institutions in order for them to effectively complete the process of restoration of the necessary condition for Bulgaria to exercise its legal rights as an owner of the lease and in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
