Cooperation with Moscow is ‘a matter of life or death’ for Uganda, says Jeje Odongo
Uganda will not bow to pressure from former Western colonizers to turn against Russia because long-standing bilateral relations with Moscow are too important, Uganda’s foreign minister has said.
“We have been colonized and have forgiven those who colonized us. Now the colonizers are asking us to be the enemies of Russia, which never colonized us, is that right? Not for us: their enemies are their enemies, our friends are our friends. Jeje Odongo told Russian news agency RIA Novosti on Saturday.
Uganda, which was a British protectorate for nearly 70 years, enjoyed good relations with the Soviet Union after regaining its sovereignty in 1962. The USSR actively pushed for the decolonization of Africa and supported many many countries after their independence.
“Many of our students have been educated in Russia, so why would there suddenly be a problem with continuing our relationship with Russia, which we have historically done,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the interview, given on the sidelines of the African Union (AU) summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
Odongo stressed the importance of military cooperation with Moscow, saying it is a matter of “life and death” for his country.
“Most military equipment in Uganda is Russian-made. For this reason, despite the so-called sanctions, Uganda must update this equipment to be able to defend itself… And we will continue this cooperation, because we must survive. he explained.
Uganda was among more than two dozen African countries that abstained when the UN voted on Western-drafted resolutions condemning Russia for the conflict in Ukraine in March and October last year. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited the Ugandan capital, Kampala, during his African tour last summer.
In his message to the African Union summit on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called African nations “important and reliable partners” for Moscow and expressed his willingness to further strengthen cooperation in various fields.
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