Your Excellency, Kerem Alp, The Ambassador of Turkey,

Excellences,

Members of the Turkish Community in Uganda,

Members of the Diplomatic Corps,

Hon. Members of Parliament,

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

It’s an honour, on behalf of the Government and people of the Republic of Uganda to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Government and people of the Republic of Turkey, on this occasion when you commemorate the 99th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey. This is a historical occasion that serves as a reminder that sovereignty belongs to the people of Turkey, to freely shape their destiny.

We pay tribute to the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, Gazi Mustafa Kemal, and the patriotic members of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM), the heroes who crowned the War of Independence with victory.

Excellency

I am glad to say that Uganda and Turkey have strong relations which have progressed and deepened since theestablishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The High-level visits that have been exchanged between Uganda and Turkish are a manifestation of the friendly ties that exist between the two countries.

Furthermore, our ties are strengthened by our friendship, deep cultural and commercial ties between our two countries. The Uganda-Turkey Summit on Investment, Trade and Tourism held in May of this year, presented opportunities for building Joint Ventures, Partnerships and Business to Business links between Turkish and Ugandan investors and businesses.

Turkey, with its strong economy, strong democracy, commitment to fundamental human values and principled visionary foreign policy, continues be an inspiration to Uganda and World at large.

In this respect we appreciate the humanitarian assistance that Turkey has extended to Uganda especially through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).

Your Excellency,

Uganda is a peace loving country and cherishes an environment of stability, peace and security, for the country, the region and entire world, as a precursor for development.In this regard, we advocate for the peaceful resolution of conflicts and condemn all forms of terrorist attacks wherever they occur.We will never allow Uganda to be used as a base for terrorists nor to undermine the democracy and sovereignty of any other country.

Your Excellency,

Uganda is implementing its development agenda for the medium to long term defined by the Uganda Vision 2040 - currently National Development Plan (III). The vision seeks to transform the country from predominantly peasant to a modern and prosperous middle income country in the shortest possible time.We are an open economy with a robust young, trainable population with flexible labour regulations.Uganda has a sizeable and growing domestic market of nearly 45 million people, with a combined market population of over 700 million in the East African Community, and COMESA Region.We seek for Turkish public and private investment in Uganda.

In line with our policy of partnering with other development partners, I wish to acknowledge the involvement of the Government of Turkey and its private sector in Uganda’ development process. 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.

Other cooperation frameworks signed during President Erdoğan visit to Uganda in 2016 have facilitated implementation of several joint projects in the fields of Education, Agro-processing and value addition, Infrastructural Development, ICT among others.

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.

As mentioned earlier, economic and commercial ties form an important part of our bilateral relations. In the recent past, the trade volume between both countries increased to US$71 million in 2021, up from US$63 million in 2020. In 2021 alone, Turkish exports to Uganda increased by 26% and Uganda’s exports to Turkey increased by 418%.

We are of course pleased with this rising level of our trade and investments. However, we also know that there is potential to further increase our volumes of trade, levels of investment, and number of tourism arrivals from Turkey as well as technical cooperation in capacity building through availing scholarships for Ugandan students considering the close relations between the two Countries.

Excellency

As we gather here today, a tough reality confronts the global economy – and especially the developing world. A series of harsh events and unprecedented macroeconomic policies are combining to throw development into crisis. This has consequences for all of us due to the interlinked nature of the global economy.

The human consequence of these overlapping crises is catastrophic. In Uganda’s case, the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, and extreme weather events due to climate have put pressure on the national development ambition enshrined in Vision 2040. The challenges have hurt the economy and our people, with the poor, especially women and girls, bearing the brunt of increased food prices and general increased costs of living. The Government of Uganda has embarked on policies like the Parish Model, aimed at rejuvenating our economy. Support from the Government of Turkey in this regard would be appreciated.

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As I conclude, let me propose a toast to the good health, peace and prosperity of His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Government and people of the Republic of Turkey.

I Thank You!