Uganda, Iran commit to deepening ties

The outgoing Ambassador of Iran to Uganda Seyed Morteza on Wednesday morning paid a courtesy call on Henry Okello Oryem, the minister of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of International Cooperation to bid him farewell.

While there, the two officials agreed to play their role in helping Iran and Uganda ties grow stronger. Ambassador Morteza's tour of duty has come to an end, but his tenure saw Uganda’s and Iran’s political and economic ties grow deeper as seen through various exchanges of high-profile visits. 

For instance, in 2018, the Iranian Vice-President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari met Uganda’s Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation Tumwesigye Elioda, and the two sides discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in science and technology, with the main focus on nanotechnology and biotechnology.

Ambassador Morteza expressed his optimism that the relations between the two countries will continue steadily progressing and promised to continue promoting Uganda-Iran ties when he returns to home. 

In his farewell remarks, minister Oryem reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to further strengthening the existing relations between the two countries.

Just a few days ago, President Museveni assured Morteza of Uganda’s continued cooperation with Iran and said Uganda has an enormous investment potential that can be exploited by Iranian investors. 

Uganda-Iran relations can be traced to 1986. Museveni said he had made several visits to Iran, an indication that the two countries enjoy good working relations.

He urged the Iranians to establish manufacturing plants in Uganda like the Chinese have done in Kapeeka to promote businesses focused on availability of markets. He assured the ambassador of future cooperation and wished him well in his next assignment.

On his part, the envoy, who has been here for three years, noted that the two countries have many potential areas of cooperation in the areas of energy, oil, machinery, electricity, agriculture, military, defence and science which need to be sufficiently harnessed.