Uganda is keen to strengthen bilateral ties with Turkey, says Minister Okello Oryem
The State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Henry Okello Oryem has said expressed Uganda’s readiness to further strengthen the existing relations with Turkey.
“I am glad to say that, relations between Uganda and Turkey have progressed and deepened since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Uganda continues to use the existing mechanisms like the joint economic commission, the Turkish-Ugandan Business Council among others to enhance the business environment for our citizens and other aspects of our cooperation to further strengthen our mutually beneficial relationship,”Oryem said.
Keep Reading
The junior Foreign Affairs minister was speaking on Thursday during a function to celebrate the 98th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey held at Sheraton hotel Kampala.
The Turkish Ambassador to Uganda, Kerem Alp, members of the Turkish community in Uganda and other members of the diplomatic corps attended the function.
Speaking at the function, Minister Oryem said the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey by its founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on October , 29, 1923 was pivotal in the country’s history but also a reminder to the sovereignty of the Turkish people.
“We pay tribute to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, and all the heroes that fought for the independence of the Republic of Turkey,” he said.
Ties
The said the ties between Uganda and Turkey date many years back and have progressed well throughout the years.
“High-level contacts between Uganda and Turkish is a manifestation of the friendly ties that exist between the two countries. The visit of H.E Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey to Uganda in June 2016, during which four bilateral cooperation Agreements were signed in the fields of tourism, energy, higher education, military and defence, reflected the strong friendship between the two countries,”Oryem said.
The Foreign Affairs minister hailed Turkey for its contribution directly and through the private sector to Uganda’s development.
“I believe that for our relations to remain mutual beneficial should be driven by increased volumes of trade, higher levels of investment, increased number of tourism arrivals from Turkey as well as technical cooperation in capacity building through vailing scholarships for Ugandan students,” he said.
Oryem also commended the good relations between Turkey and many other African countries that he said will spur Africa’s growth and prosperity.
“This is evidenced by the framework arrangement of the Turkey-Africa summit, the third of which will take place in Istanbul on 17 and 18 December 2021. The arrangement presents an opportunity for mutual cooperation with African countries in promoting economic development in the region. Turkish private sector is encouraged to undertake business engagements, investment and infrastructure development in Africa.”
Bilateral relations
Uganda and Turkey have for several years enjoyed warm bilateral relations.
In 2010, Turkey opened a fully-fledged Mission in Kampala in 2010 and Uganda reciprocated by opening a mission in Ankara in 2011.
The two countries have gone ahead to cooperate in several areas including energy, education, military and defence.
In terms of education, a number of Ugandan students have gone on to get scholarships from the Turkish government in higher institutions in Turkey.
On the other side, many Turkish nationals have invested in the country whereas several other Ugandans are working in Turkey.
Both countries have also exchanged several high-level visits including presidents visiting each other’s country.
Whereas President Museveni visited Turkey in May 2010, the same was reciprocated by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Uganda in June 2016.
