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!