Defence and Veteran Affairs Minister Kiryowa Kiwanuka has held separate talks with ambassadors, high commissioners and defence attachés accredited to Uganda.
The meetings took place at the ministry headquarters in Mbuya. They focused on defence cooperation, regional security, military health, rehabilitation and capacity building.
The delegations came from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, South Korea, Pakistan and Russia.
In his meeting with UK High Commissioner Lisa Chesney, Kiwanuka said Uganda wants to strengthen cooperation in military rehabilitation, mental health and sports-based recovery.
The talks followed Uganda’s admission to the Invictus Games Foundation community. Uganda is the second African country to join the community.
Kiwanuka said the UPDF has invested in medical infrastructure, including the UPDF Referral and Teaching Hospital. He said Uganda still needs more expertise in trauma care, mental health, rehabilitation and physiotherapy.
Chesney said the Invictus Games Foundation supports wounded, injured and sick soldiers through sport. She said the programme helps them return to military service or move into civilian life.
In his meeting with Netherlands Ambassador Frederieke Quispel, Kiwanuka said Uganda remains committed to stability in the Great Lakes Region.
He said UPDF deployments in Somalia and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo aim to protect Uganda and support regional stability.
“The UPDF presence in eastern DRC is to counter insurgent threats to Uganda while also contributing to efforts to reduce instability in the DRC,” Kiwanuka said.
“As the saying goes, if your neighbour’s house is on fire, you cannot sit comfortably in your own.”
Quispel noted Uganda’s stability in the Great Lakes Region. She said the Netherlands wants continued cooperation to support peace in neighbouring countries.
In talks with South Korea’s Defence Attaché, Seha Kim, Kiwanuka pledged to speed up the renewal of the bilateral Defence Memorandum of Understanding.
He also asked South Korea to continue supporting the UPDF Referral and Teaching Hospital, whose first phase is nearing completion.
Kim said South Korea remains committed to capacity building. He cited the annual sponsorship of UPDF officers at the Korea National Defence University and Korea Army College.
He also mentioned the annual Taekwondo training programme for UPDF personnel. He invited Kiwanuka to attend the 2026 Seoul Defence Dialogue.
Pakistan’s Deputy High Commissioner, Mohsin Bilal, said Pakistan was ready to expand defence cooperation with Uganda.
He said Pakistan wants to work with Uganda in training and technology exchange.
Kiwanuka welcomed the proposal. He said Uganda wants deeper cooperation in military training and knowledge sharing.
In talks with Russian representative Dmitry Ivanov, Kiwanuka praised Uganda’s long relationship with Russia.
Ivanov described Uganda as a key partner in military and military-technical cooperation.
He listed three priority areas. They include strengthening the legal framework, providing modern military equipment and working together on cybersecurity.
He also restated Russia’s offer of $53 million in military-technical assistance.
Senior officials from the ministry and UPDF attended the meetings. They included Permanent Secretary Rosette Byengoma and Chief of Joint Staff Lt Gen Jack Bakasumba.
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