President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and a high-ranking delegation of the Republic of Uganda arrived in Hanoi on November 23 afternoon. Photo: VNA

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and a high-ranking delegation of the Republic of Uganda arrived in Hanoi on November 23 afternoon, beginning a three-day visit to Vietnam at the invitation of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, VNA reported.

The delegation accompanying the Ugandan President includes Minister of Foreign Affairs Odongo Jeje Abubakhar; Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Matia Kasaija; Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries Frank Tumwebaze; and Minister of Information and Communications Chris Baryomunsi.

During his stay in Vietnam, President Museveni is scheduled to pay tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum in Hanoi, hold talks with his Vietnamese counterpart, witness the signing of cooperation documents, and pay courtesy visits to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

He will also visit FPT Corporation, Vietnam’s leading IT firm, and the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and attend the Vietnam-Uganda Business Forum.

The visit, the first by a head of State between Vietnam and Uganda, will be an important milestone in the bilateral ties. It takes place in the context of the two countries looking towards the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties (February 9, 1973). It is expected to open up cooperation opportunities between the two countries in the time ahead.

The two sides will use the occasion to review multi-faceted cooperation and set out specific measures to raise the efficiency of collaboration in the coming time.

The visit, the first by a head of State between Vietnam and Uganda, will be an important milestone in the bilateral ties. Photo: VNA

Vietnam and Uganda have yet to open their embassies in each other's capital city. However, the bilateral relations have been developing fruitfully, from politics to economy, trade, investment and agriculture.

Vietnam appointed King Mulenga Augustus Ceasor, a Ugandan citizen, as its Honorary Consul in Uganda in 2017.

The bilateral trade reached USD 14.3 million last year, up 39.8% from the previous year. Vietnam mainly exports steel, garments-textiles, machines, equipment, spare parts, phones and components to Uganda, while importing animal feed, materials, coffee, wood and timber products from the country.

As of October 2022, Uganda ran three projects worth USD 90,000 in Ho Chi Minh City, specialising in wholesale and retail, and car and motorbike repair. Meanwhile, Vietnam counted two projects on mining and construction in Uganda with a total investment capital of USD 35.5 million.

The two countries have coordinated and supported each other at multilateral forums, especially the United Nations.

Agriculture has been seen as a bright spot in the bilateral relations. Uganda sent delegations to Vietnam in 2018 and 2019, during which the two sides inked memoranda of understanding on cooperation in agriculture and fishery. Ample room still remains for the two countries to step up their collaboration in these fields.

The Ugandan President’s visit takes place at a time when African nations, including Uganda, attach importance to establishing and promoting cooperation with Asia-Pacific, including Vietnam.

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