President Museveni to fly to Moscow for the Russia-Africa Summit to Advance Uganda’s Bilateral Trade and Multifaceted Ties for Mutual Growth
President Kaguta Museveni is flying to Moscow mid this week to join other African leaders for the second Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum. The upcoming Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg, Russia is scheduled for July 27-28, 2023. The Russian ambassador to Uganda, H.E Semivolos, highlights that the summit aims to enhance bilateral trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.
President Kaguta Museveni is flying to Moscow mid this week to join other African leaders for the second Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum in St. Petersburg.
The Russian ambassador to Uganda, H.E Semivolos, announced that the upcoming summit, scheduled for July 27-28, 2023, aims to strengthen bilateral trade and economic cooperation, as well as enhance the multifaceted ties between Russia and Uganda.
H.E Semivolos expressed optimism about the discussions, stating that they will create more opportunities for Russia and Uganda to cooperate deeply. He highlighted the potential for collaboration in bilateral trade, energy cooperation, and the promotion of Ugandan export products in the Russian market, particularly coffee, tea, tropical fruits, and more.
The ambassador noted that strong trade connections between the two countries have already been established, especially in coffee trade, where Ugandan companies are opening coffee shops in Moscow and St. Petersburg. He also mentioned the successful Uganda Expo in Moscow, where numerous trade deals were concluded between entrepreneurs of both nations.
The summit will feature bilateral talks between President Vladimir Putin and President Yoweri Museveni, focusing on critical areas of cooperation and accelerating interaction between the two nations. A large delegation from Uganda, including cabinet ministers, parliamentarians, businesspeople, journalists, academics, and other prominent personalities, is expected to attend the summit.
The summit will begin with an economic and humanitarian forum covering various issues of interaction between Russia and Africa. This forum will include panels on sustainable development, energy cooperation, agribusiness, food security, logistics, science and technology, mining, SMEs, and humanitarian matters.
To ensure the success of the summit and the bilateral meeting between the presidents, the Russian Embassy in Kampala is collaborating closely with the foreign ministry and the Ugandan Embassy in Moscow. The summit is expected to result in the adoption of several documents aimed at further developing relations between African states and Russia.
HE Semivolos emphasized the significance of inter-parliamentary cooperation between Russia and Uganda, and the upcoming visit of the Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda, Anita Among, to Russia, which aims to strengthen mutual understanding and collaboration between the two nations.
Russia highly values its relations with Uganda and intends to expand cooperation in various fields such as trade, economy, energy, science, technology, and humanitarian activities. The ambassador also highlighted the progress made in bilateral relations over the past few years and the potential for further expansion in areas like transport, infrastructure, agriculture, communications, and tourism.
Additionally, Russia is encouraging its business community to seek cooperation partners in Uganda for mutually beneficial projects, and there is a focus on promoting cooperation in the education sphere. Russia has provided scholarships for Ugandan students to pursue vocational studies and higher education in Russia. To further aid cooperation, a Russian language center will be opened at Makerere University in August to facilitate students seeking education in Russia.
