The Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka, has today reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to strengthening defence cooperation with Egypt and Türkiye. This followed separate courtesy meetings with the Egyptian Defence Attaché, Colonel Ahmed Harb, and the Military Attaché of the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye, Colonel Caner Sağlam, at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs headquarters in Mbuya.
The engagements focused on enhancing bilateral military cooperation, particularly in the areas of training, technology transfer, knowledge sharing, and defence collaboration.
During his meeting with the Egyptian Defence Attaché, Hon. Kiryowa described the relationship between Uganda and Egypt as longstanding and strategically significant, noting that the two countries share common interests rooted in the River Nile.
“We are tied by the providence of God. This is not a relationship that we are forging; it is one that already exists and cannot be separated. We welcome all the support, the strong relations we have built, and the military training programmes that continue to benefit our countries,” he said.
The Minister commended the ongoing exchange of military training between the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Egyptian Armed Forces.
“When I was in Kimaka, I was pleased to see one of your officers training here. I know that we have officers who have also trained in Egypt, and we look forward to continuing that relationship,” he added.
Hon. Kiryowa also expressed appreciation for Egypt’s support in Uganda’s efforts to combat foot-and-mouth disease through vaccine assistance.
“We sincerely appreciate your support on the foot-and-mouth disease vaccination programme. It has been of great help. Although we recently experienced a small outbreak, it was nothing compared to what we have seen before because of the support you extended to us,” he said.
Col. Harb reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to strengthening military ties with Uganda and invited the Minister to attend the Egyptian Armed Forces Day celebrations scheduled for October.
“For the past three years, the Egyptian Armed Forces have organised a major Armed Forces Day celebration. This year’s event will be held in October, and I hope you will honour us by attending,” he said.
In a separate meeting, Hon. Kiryowa underscored the longstanding relations between Uganda and Türkiye, particularly in defence cooperation.
“Uganda and Türkiye have enjoyed a long-standing relationship. We appreciate the military training, technology, and knowledge transfer support that we have received from Türkiye. We are committed to strengthening this cooperation, especially through continuous training for UPDF officers, which remains a priority,” he said.
Col. Caner Sağlam observed that military and defence industry relations between Türkiye and Uganda had made significant progress in recent years through defence agreements, military training, and joint exercises. He said that Türkiye remains committed to expanding the cooperation between the countries.
The meetings were attended by the Chief of Joint Staff, Lt Gen Jack Bakasumba, and the Undersecretary for Finance and Administration in the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Mrs. Edith Buturo.
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