Nkurunziza concludes visit to Uganda

KAMPALA - President Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi has concluded his three-day visit to Uganda. His visit centred on regional cooperation, security, energy and other bilateral issues. The two countries noted with satisfaction, the progress so far made in the implementation of the decisions outlined in the bilateral cooperation under the framework of a joint permanent commission that exists between the two East African Community members. Flanked by his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the Heads of State were happy to note the new areas of cooperation in the fields of transport, agriculture, information and communication technology, local government, education, energy, central banking services, health and defence. They later urged those concerned to speed up the implementation of the decisions. Uganda also hailed Burundi for its contribution towards peace in the Great Lakes region and sending a contingent of peacekeepers to war-torn Somalia. Both presidents re-affirmed their support to the Somali people, the political process in Somalia and renewed their commitment towards AMISOM. “We take these relations seriously and the mechanism of the Joint Partnership Commission (JPC) will propel further our cooperation to greater heights,” said Foreign Affairs State Minister Okello Oryem during the JPC meeting held at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala. Oryem said Uganda and Burundi shared the same vision on regional cooperation and integration from which the region would reap benefits in the form of a larger market, a stronger bargaining power and infrastructural development. “Attractive investment and consolidating peace and security remain part of our cooperation.” Museveni congratulated Burundi for successfully negotiating with the PALIPEHUTU rebels, who recently laid down their arms. The Heads of State further noted the progress in the integration process of the EAC and exchanged views on the negotiations of the common market protocol, customs union and the proposed monetary union. During his visit, the president of Burundi and his delegation toured the Bujagali power plant in Jinja, made a working visit to Quality Chemicals plant in Luzira in Kampala, and the faculty of information technology at Makerere University. Ends