Bulgaria will not retaliate despite the fact that its Embassy in Accra, Ghana, has been illegally demolished in contravention of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961.
A private developer who has now been identified as President Akufo-Addo’s appointee on the National Development Planning Commission (NDCP) Board, Dr Opoku Ampomah, entered the property illegally with heavy equipment in August 2021 and demolished it.
Despite a “stop work” notice issued by the Lands Commission, the developer in defiance continued to developed the land and has raised a structure on the parcel of land belonging to the Bulgarian Embassy.
This move prompted an action by the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio who has direct Dr Adu-Ampomah to, as a matter of urgency, halt all building activities on the land when he visited the site on Wednesday, 16 March 2022.
Reacting to this development on 12 Live on Class91.3FM on Thursday, 17 March 2022, Bulgarian ambassador to Ghana and Nigeria Yanko Yordanov said despite Bulgaria’s disappointment in the action of the developer, the country will not retaliate.
He told 12 Live anchor Valentina Ofori-Afriyie that “Let me emphasize there will be no retaliation of any magnitude, let me emphasize when Ghana had an Embassy in Bulgaria between 1984 and 1993 that was an Embassy that was landed by Bulgaria to Ghana with no cost involved to Ghana. That demonstrates that since that time, Ghana and Bulgaria were the greatest of friends and this is why we are very surprised about what happened because the friendship and cooperation always prevailed over any kind of other situation between Bulgaria and Ghana.”
He stressed, “this is why I wouldn’t say there will be a retaliation, we do recognise it’s an act committed by very few individuals who have nothing to do with the Ghanaian people who are always very friendly to Bulgaria and we do respect that…”
Meanwhile, Bulgaria wants the Ghanaian government to restore the embassy.
Mr Yordanov said: “we are a bit disappointed that this situation continues after more than five years. We want Bulgaria granted access to its own property that has been recognised as Bulgaria’s by Ghana’s own supreme court.”
He said the message he wants to pass is that “we [Bulgaria] don’t accept this situation, it is really unacceptable, and at the same time while we continue insisting on Ghanaian authorities to do their part, we are also hopeful that very soon a decision will be made and a settlement will be done so Bulgaria and Ghana will focus on our very much positive agenda in terms of cooperation and trade, education and all the areas of common interest.”
Credit:Classfmonline.com
