The Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Gen. Odongo Jeje Abubakhar has this afternoon welcomed his counter part Hon. Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India and his delegation to the Pearl of Africa.
In his message, Gen. Odongo Jeje described Jaishankar’s visit as an opportunity to further deepen commitments with India and take them to a higher level.
“I am delighted to say that Uganda and India share a strong relationship. We have signed a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in various areas of cooperation that have further consolidated and strengthened our bilateral relations.” Gen. Odongo Jeje said adding that Uganda and India have worked closely in the multilateral arena on regional and international issues.
He stated that government is committed to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in its entirety and to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as we commence the decade of action and delivery of sustainable development, encapsulated in Uganda’s National Development Plans.
“Uganda is ready to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation on issues of climate change, human rights, refugees and social development. Uganda is active member of the United Nations and its Agencies; Non-Aligned Movement (NAM); G77 and China; the Commonwealth and other International organisations.” He added.
On speaking on the multinational cooperation, Gen. Odongo Jeje revaled that Uganda endeavours to support India’s positions in these agencies and expects appropriate reciprocity.
“Uganda, like the rest of Africa support a comprehensive reform of the United Nations and the UN Security Council in particular. We believe that UNSC should be more representative and democratic and its reform should increase membership to reflect a fair geographical representation as well as changes in its working methods and the decision-making processes.
Uganda, as a Member of the African Union Committee of Ten countries (C-10) on UNSC Reform, supports the African position, as highlighted by the Ezulwini Consensus of 2005. Africa demands for two permanent seats on the UNSC with veto powers (if the current permanent members retain the veto), as well as two more additional seats (a total five) non-permanent seats, in order to address the historical injustices.” He said.
On the Non-Aligned Movement
As Uganda will host the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in January 2024 and as we assume Chairmanship we look forward to sharing experiences and working closely with India, given your experience in chairing the past NAM in 2013.
I would like to thank the Government of India for the generous offer of ten (10) executive buses to Uganda which will be used for the transportation of VIP delegates.
Regional Peace and Security
Uganda believes that regional peace, security and stability is the cornerstone for the development of the individual member states and the region at large.
Uganda has been actively involved in peace and stabilization processes in the region especially the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on the situation in South Sudan, the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) on DRC, as well as the Nairobi Process (East African Standby Force deployment in Eastern DRC), among others.
As a result, Uganda under the leadership of President H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, has played a key role in promoting and maintaining regional peace and stability based on the principle of ‘Peace Trinity’ i.e. Country, Region, International Community.
On Somalia, we are pleased with the progress the country is making in finding peace and stability. These developments are taking place against the backdrop of government efforts to consolidate State institutions. As the country implements the transitional plan, it is essential that the international community addresses the mismatch between the commitment to generate the requisite Somali National Security Forces and ATMIS drawdown. Inability to manage this process well could jeopardize the political and security gains already made.
On South Sudan, Odong revealed that he is pleased with some of the positive progress in the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement.
“We call on the International Community to support the positive momentum and expedite their support for the completion of the remaining critical tasks. We also take note of the current political challenges in South Sudan and are looking forward to its resolution by the extra-ordinary IGAD Summit on South Sudan which will be held on 18th April in Juba.” He said.
While Commenting On DRC issue, Gen. Jeje Odong underscored that Uganda is concerned about the persistent and recurring conflicts in the eastern part of the Country, particularly arising from gaps in governance; the surge of Foreign Terrorist Fighters and mercenaries; illicit circulation of arms and weapons and illegal exploitation of natural resources; foreign political and military interference; etc.
“Uganda support the two mechanisms for the resolution of the conflict namely; The Luanda Process, under the leadership of the current Chairman of the International Conference on the Greatlakes Region (ICGLR), the President of Angola; and the East African Community (Nairobi Process) under the facilitation of the former President of Kenya.” He said adding that Uganda has a bilateral arrangement with DRC to maintains an armed presence in the Eastern DRC, especially to address the problem of ADF.
On the refugee situation, Uganda maintains a progressive policy on refugees and currently hosts over 1.4 million refugees, the largest number in Africa. It is in this spirit that, we recently welcomed to assist those in distress from Afghanistan.
“I applaud India’s commitment of $1 million during the Uganda Solidarity Summit for Refugees held in Kampala in June 2017. This has strengthened services to support the refugees and host communities. However, the circumstances of the refugees and host communities pose enormous challenges for the national authorities which needs to be addressed as part of international solidarity. We therefore call for continued support to the world’s refugees consistent with international commitments.” He said.
In the area of development cooperation, India continues to be a strategic partner for Uganda in socio-economic development. The projects undertaken have significantly impacted various sectors and groups in Uganda. I would like to note with satisfaction some of the numerous projects such as the Bhabhatron Radiotherapy machine worth USD 1 million installed at the Uganda Cancer Institute; the completion of the National Forensic Science University, the first of its kind in Africa which will be inaugurated tomorrow and the clean drinking water project in developed in Kyankwanzi.
Hon. Minister, I wish to inform you that Uganda is ready to implement the Mahatma Gandhi Heritage Centre in Jinja. Though there were some delays in identification of land, land has been allocated for the project and all that is left is the commencement of the design and construction phase.
In the field of education, I thank the Indian Government for providing opportunities of learning for the young people in Uganda through scholarships to study in Indian higher education institutions. The youth are the future and opportunities such as these, provide them with memorable exposure to get experience and also to contribute to strengthening our bonds of friendship and solidarity. I call on India’s continued support to train our youth in the areas of ICT, medicine and other sciences.
