International Relations Expert, Vladimir Antwi-Danso, has described the intervention of the Foreign Affairs Ministry into the impasse between the British High Commissioner and the Inspector General of Police as a step in the right direction.

According to him, the statement released by the Foreign Affairs Ministry was very measured in its pronouncements and exuded a sign of maturity on the part of the Ministry in handling the dicey situation.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, Dr. Antwi-Danso said “That is a sign of maturity because a citizen of Ghana, a highly placed citizen as such in the person of the IGP is having some kind of problem with a diplomat, and things that could have been done by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn’t go through them.

“It’s like on some level the IGP could have reported to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry could have called the High Commissioner to order, but that didn’t happen and then they have direct confrontation.

“So the Ministry found it wise to step in, and in stepping in it has taken a good diplomatic language to assure the High Commissioner that we are here, we have longstanding bond with you and we don’t need any kind of such altercation between us.

“So we’re in touch with the IGP, we’re in touch with you and we seek to resolve this issue. So it’s maturity, I mean I doff my hat for the Minister whom I have had respect for all this while to have shown such maturity in saying that look, don’t escalate things.”

The impasse between British High Commissioner, Harriet Thompson and the IGP, George Akuffo Dampare followed a tweet by Mrs Thompson concerning the arrest of #FixTheCountry convener, Oliver Barker-Vormawor over a traffic offence.

She had tweeted “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….”

In response to said tweet, the IGP had issued a four-page letter summarily telling the Commissioner to mind her own business as her tweets were in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Intervening in the matter, the Foreign Affairs Ministry had assured to meet both parties to straighten out any misunderstanding and address concerns from both sides.

Further commenting on the statement by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. Antwi-Danso noted that the behavior of foreign diplomats indeed do have to be checked as some actions taken by them could destabilize a country.

He thus commended the Ministry for responding to the situation timeously to avoid any form of escalation.

“I said earlier on, most of these things are either intentionally done or innocuously done but they generate some kind of instability in some countries. Some ambassadors would have also been that intemperate.

“I remember we had one like that also in the British High Commission, the one who came before Jon Benjamin also who will take his pen and write directly and had a whole lot of problems with the government of the day then.

“So this one the Ministry has seen the need to step in and say look don’t raise the stakes we’re here. Remember the bond that we have had with you all up to this time, and Mr IGP too we have taken over. So I strongly believe that what they have put in the public domain is very good. It slows down the current being generated and it also gives room for explanation to kill this case all together,” he said.