The Member of Parliament for North Tongu is asking the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to step in and calm the brewing tension between the Ghana Police Service and the British High Commission.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says it is important the issue is addressed so it does not mar the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.

According to him, the Minister should use the diplomatic channels available to her in resolving the disagreement.

“I expect the Foreign Affairs Ministry to step into this and deescalate and use diplomatic channels to address the issue,” he said in a media interview.

Meanwhile, the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee also said the Committee is interested in looking into the grievances.

Background

The Ghana Police Service has replied the British High Commissioner, Harriet Thompson, over her comments in relation to the arrest of the convener of the FixTheCountry Movement.

Madam Harriet Thompson, in a Tweet on Tuesday, May 17, said she looks forward to seeing how the arrest of the convener of the FixTheCountry Movement will turn out.

“Oliver Barker Vormawor, the convener of #FixTheCountry Movement, arrested again, I understand, for a motoring offense on his way to court. I’ll be interested to see where this goes…,” the tweet said.

However, the Police in a letter signed by the IGP, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare to Madam Harriet Thompson said her tweet was from either a “biased or uninformed position.”

“Ordinarily, the Ghana Police Service would not have responded to comments such as yours, obviously made from either a biased or uninformed position.”

“However, we have learnt from a previous painful experience that it has not been helpful to ignore such misguided, unwarranted, and biased comments intended to tarnish the reputation of the Ghana Police Service and that of our country.”

The letter also stated that the British High Commissioner’s tweet violates the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

“What is more, we consider your tweet as a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961 which enjoins diplomatic missions not to interfere in the internal affairs of their host country.”