Written by: Badr Ahmed

The Commander of the Ugandan Defence Forces, General Muhozi Kaynerugaba, received the Deputy Head of Mission of the European Union to Uganda, Guillaume Chartres, at a farewell meeting at the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces in Entebbe, on the occasion of the end of his diplomatic mission in the country, where the two sides discussed the course of bilateral relations and prospects for cooperation between Uganda and the European Union.

The meeting came within the framework of the growing relations between Kampala and Brussels, as the two sides exchanged views on a number of issues of common interest, in addition to reviewing developments in economic and political cooperation between Uganda and the European Union, and ways to strengthen the partnership during the next stage.

Uganda and the European Union reaffirm their commitment to strengthening their bilateral partnership.

During the meeting, the Deputy Ambassador of the European Union praised what he described as the remarkable social and economic transformation that Uganda has witnessed over the past four years under the leadership of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, considering that these transformations have positively impacted the standard of living of citizens and contributed to strengthening the environment for development and investment.

The European diplomat stressed that the developments achieved by Uganda in the recent period have also helped to expand areas of cooperation between the European Union and Kampala, both at the economic and political levels, noting that relations between the two sides have witnessed remarkable progress in a number of files of common interest.

For his part, General Muhozi Kaynerogaba welcomed the remarks of the European Deputy Ambassador, stressing that Uganda, along with the African continent in general, is moving steadily towards achieving more economic growth and sustainable development, in light of efforts to enhance stability, attract investments and develop the economic infrastructure.

The two sides also discussed a number of bilateral issues and ways to continue cooperation between Uganda and the European Union in various fields, in a way that serves common interests and supports the existing partnership between the two parties.

At the end of the meeting, Ambassador Guillaume Chartres expressed his appreciation for his time in Uganda, stressing that he will continue to support and strengthen relations between the European Union and Uganda in his new diplomatic post, and work to advance the paths of joint cooperation between the two sides.

This meeting comes at a time when the European Union continues to strengthen its partnerships with a number of African countries, as part of its interest in supporting economic development, encouraging investment, and enhancing political and security cooperation with the countries of the continent, while Uganda affirms its keenness to expand its relations with its international partners in a way that contributes to achieving its development goals and supporting its regional position.