The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. Henry Okello Oryem has commended the existing good relations between Turkey and Uganda.
Oryem said that 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. Which he says presents an opportunity for mutual cooperation with African Countries in promoting economic development in the region.
He noted that relations between Uganda and Turkey have progressed and deepened since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, saying with High-level contacts between Uganda and Turkish is a manifestation of the friendly ties that exist between the two countries.
He said that the two countries signed a bilateral trade agreement that has formalized the business traffic between the two countries in the fields of trade, agriculture, textiles, ready-made clothing, hotel and hospitality management and construction among others.
Oryem noted that Uganda’s development agenda for the medium to long term is defined by the Uganda Vision 2040 which sets the long-term aspirations for the transformation of our country from predominantly peasant to a modern and prosperous middle income country.
He revealed that 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
The minister called for 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 encouraged the Turkish private sector to undertake business engagements, investment and infrastructure development in Africa.
Oryem made the remarks during the occasion of celebrating the 98th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey at Sheraton Hotel.
He congratulated the government of Turkey, on the commemoration of 98th Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic of Turkey.
Oryem said that the momentous occasion is a pivotal moment in Turkey’s history, for it is a reminder that sovereignty belongs to 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.
“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,” he said.
