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The Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament convened Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey to discuss visa restrictions imposed by the United States in Ghana by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Clement Apaak, a member of the Committee, said that leaders on both sides of the House had taken the issue seriously, hence the decision to invite the minister.
"Early next week, we will have a meeting with the minister and we will inform the public of the way forward. But we hope that the government will be ready for anything so that we know how to solve this problem, "he told Joseph Opoku Gakpo of Joy News.
His comment follows DHS's announcement of the implementation of visa sanctions for Ghana.
In one press release of 31 January 2019, He explained that the sanctions resulted from the impossibility for Ghana to accept its nationals who must be expelled from the United States.
"Ghana has not respected its obligations under international law to accept the return of its nationals who have been expelled from the United States," said DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
Sign for deportation or face a visa ban
In May 2018, Ghana's ambbadador to the United States, Dr. Baffour Adjei-Bawuah, was caught playing cat and mouse with US authorities to sign the expulsion of more than 7,000 people arrested the United States.
Obviously, in a solution, he told Joy News, "it is difficult for me to sanction the expulsion of my citizen and I try to explain it to the authorities".
He argued that the DHS has all the documents and information allowing the person to be brought to the United States, so that it does not need confirmation from the US. Embbady of Ghana.
"We were only talking about some fairness and the embbady was not necessarily pushing for it to agree to see some people being deported. That's where we had a difference of opinion with the US authorities, "he said.
In September 2018, however, the problem resurfaced and Dr. Adjei-Bawuah said the two countries had reached a diplomatic agreement with the authorities on the deportation.
He added that there was no longer any dispute over the nationality of the people involved, which had previously been a bone of contention before.
Related: Ghana-United States. reach a diplomatic agreement to expel 7,000 people
This was, however, disputed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Unsatisfied with the way the problem was handled, Apaak said that Ghana should not have waited for the problem to get out of control.
He added that some measures could have been taken to prevent the current action of Americans.
Clement Apaak, member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs
"Whether we like it or not, they made their decision and we have to react appropriately, which is why we have to meet with the minister to decide together what to do," he said.
Mr. Apaak said that with regard to appeals for retaliation, it is important that Ms. Ayorkor Botchwey make a report in order to make a favorable decision to the country and the citizens.
According to him, the Foreign Affairs Committee sings from the same hymnal sheet when it comes to protecting the interests of Ghanaians.
He criticized the Government and the Ministry for failing to provide information to the Foreign Affairs Committee after the problem was raised.
"The government, through the department and the ambbadador to the United States, gave very confused answers and contradicted themselves at one point.
"When the ambbadador informed the media on the sidelines of the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in the United States stating that an agreement had been reached, the minister later on contradicted.
He thinks the US authorities have interpreted the "confused communication" as meaning that Ghana is not serious in dealing with the issue, which has left them no choice but to make a decision as hard.
Mr Apaak said that if Ghana did not solve the problem quickly, he foresaw that the US authorities would intensify it.
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