Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has dismissed comments by former President John Dramani Mahama that President Akufo-Addo created "diplomatic tension" with his counterpart in neighbouring Burkina Faso. John Mahama during a press conference on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, said this tension with the neighbouring Burkina Faso was caused when the President alleged in 2022 that Burkina Faso had hired some Russian mercenaries and entered into agreement with the Wagner Forces. "Today, Russian mercenaries are on our northern border. Burkina Faso has now entered into an arrangement to go along with Mali in employing the Wagner forces there," Akufo-Addo said at the US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington in 2022. "He went there and went and apologise but still it is not the best and so when government changes, we have to go and talk to our neighbours. Indeed, we must work together," he stated. But in a statement, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said "the claims are "wholly unfounded and lack substantial evidence or merit." The statement added "It is recalled that a ministerial visit to Burkina Faso in 2022, followed by a visit of the President in 2023 received the highest level of courtesies and hospitality and reinforced the commitment of the two fraternal countries to building stronger bonds of cooperation across all fields, for the mutual benefit of our two people and our region," it stated. "It is crucial to emphasise that Ghana is committed to maintaining diplomatic relationships with Burkina Faso.