The government and people of Denmark have shown a sense of remorse for the ordeal they took Ghanaians through during the era of slave trade in the colonial era.
Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Anders Samuelsen, who conveyed the message to the government and people of Ghana, begged for forgiveness.
Regret
Speaking at a bilateral meeting between officials of the Danish delegation in Ghana and their Ghanaian counterparts as part of the five-day official visit of Queen Margrethe II to the country, Mr Anders Samuelsen underscored, “We share a dark history of slave trade – a shameful and unforgivable part of Danish history.”
According to him, “Nothing can justify the exportation of men, women and children in which Denmark took part.”
The Christiansborg Castle at Osu in Accra, which later became the seat of government, was the exit point for the Danes to send slaves out of Ghana.
The Danish official therefore applauded Ghana for its active engagement in promoting peace and stability in the sub-region and enhancing maritime security.
Those, he said, are issues high on the agenda of his country (Denmark) and therefore looked forward to further discussions along those lines in the coming days, describing the relations between the two countries as “excellent bilateral relations.”
Mr Anders Samuelsen said, “For several decades we’ve had a successful development cooperation and we are now able to transition from aid to trade and strengthen our political and commercial cooperation even further.”
The two countries believe that increased cooperation, trade and investment would benefit both Ghana and Denmark in years to come.
They also talked of exploring opportunities in technology, maritime, infrastructure, environment, food and agriculture.
In the company of the queen and members of her delegation are 39 business tycoons to explore opportunities in Ghana.
Resolutions
Among several issues, Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, said they discussed during the bilateral talks which was held behind closed doors, matters relating to peace and security, particularly in West Africa and the Sahel, as well as maritime security which is of special interest to Denmark.
“As you are all aware, irregular migration and its associated challenges have been receiving a lot of attention in the past few years. We deliberated on the underlying causes such as poverty, pervasive youth unemployment, the proliferation of conflict and endemic instability in parts of our continent,” she said.
To that end, she added, “We decided to work together towards stemming the tide of irregular migration, particularly the activities of human traffickers.”
At the same time, he underscored, “We committed to tackling the root causes of the mass migration. We also agreed on the need to respect the rights of all migrants, including deportees.
“Another important issue that came up in our discussions was the question of UN Reforms. Of particular interest to Ghana was the reform of the UN Security Council to ensure that Africa is well represented.”
Commitments
Ms Ayorkor Botchway disclosed, “Our position is informed by the African Union’s Ezulwini Consensus which calls for Africa to be given two permanent seats and accorded with all the privileges of permanent membership.
“I also took the opportunity to appeal for Denmark’s support for Ghana’s candidate in the forthcoming election of new judges for the International Criminal Court. She is Professor Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, a lecturer at the Law Faculty and current Director of the Legon Center for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD). Since Denmark is also interested in other UN posts, we agreed to support each other,” she announced.
She was therefore optimistic that “the outcome of the queen’s visit will substantially transform our relations and help advance the government’s agenda of accelerated economic transformation for inclusive growth and sustainable development.”
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