Ghana, Iran pledge to fight terrorism

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani have agreed to collaborate in the fight against extremism and terrorism, the presidency announced here on Monday.

The two leaders reached the agreement after holding discussions on the matter behind closed doors as part of President Mahama's official two-day visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Addressing a press conference after the closed-door meeting, President Mahama said the collaboration was necessary in the wake of the far reaching effects of extremism on the world.

He explained that "violent extremism and terrorism is a threat to the whole world and we can only defeat it if we collaborate with each other".

"In Africa, we are also affected by violent extremism; the situation in Libya is affecting the Sahelian areas of Africa; the operations of Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb, the operation of Boko Haram are all threats to our peaceful survival."

President Mahama said the two leaders "discussed the issue on two levels, namely using cultural means to try and fight against extremist ideology but at the same time sharing intelligence and working together to fight terrorism".

He also commended Hassan Rouhani for measures they had put in place in the fight against terrorism.

Meanwhile, Ghana and Iran have entered into two agreements in the areas of oil and gas and petrochemical engineering.

President John Dramani Mahama during the joint press conference said the agreements were in areas where Iran held a comparative advantage and would further strengthen the Ghana-Iran relationship. Endit