Gen. Odongo Jeje Abubakhar, Minister of Foreign Affairs concluded an official visit to Türkiye.
During the visit, he represented H.E. the President at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) held from 1-3 March 2024 and held other bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Forum.
The ADF is a high-level platform for discussions on a wide range of international issues. This year’s edition was held under the theme “Advancing Diplomacy in Times of Turmoil.”
Minister Odongo in his intervention on one of the Panel discussions, observed that global peace can only be achieved if there is willingness to work together to understand the root causes and address the drivers of conflict.
He urged the international community to support conflict prevention initiatives undertaken by the regional and sub-regional organizations and called for the reform of the UN Security Council to ensure it is fit for purpose.
In advocating for stronger international cooperation, he underscored the importance of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) as a strong pillar in addressing global challenges.
He stressed that Uganda as the Chair of NAM will collectively work with other member countries to promote solidarity and multilateralism to further strengthen the critical role that the Movement plays within the United Nations.
On the margins of the ADF, Minister Odongo met H.E. Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye.
They exchanged views on bilateral, regional, and international issues of concern. Gen. Odongo lauded the fraternal relations that exist between the two countries and expressed appreciation to Türkiye for the assistance extended in terms of infrastructural development, education cooperation through scholarships, and foreign direct investment among other areas of cooperation.
We desire to further strengthen existing areas of cooperation and explore new fields, he stated.
The Turkish Minister congratulated Uganda on the successful hosting of the NAM and G77/China Summits recently held in Kampala.
Both Ministers expressed satisfaction with the achievements registered in the field of economic cooperation, noting the steady increase in bilateral trade.
They agreed to expedite the conclusion of outstanding investment promotion agreements and on the need to convene the next meeting of the Turkey-Uganda Joint Economic Commission.
On the security situation in the Great Lakes Region and Horn of Africa, the Ministers exchanged views of the situations in the different hotspots and agreed to continue consultations and support peace stabilization efforts.
The meeting also agreed to continue the high-level visits and expand bilateral engagement.
While in Antalya, Gen. Odongo, accompanied by Uganda’s Head of Mission in Türkiye H.E. Nusura Tiperu also met representatives of several Turkish enterprises and invited them to invest in the different priority sectors of Uganda’s economy.
He tasked the Embassy in Ankara to follow up with the prospective investors, directly link them to the relevant sector regulators and facilitate their exploitation of the business and investment opportunities in Uganda
