Uganda and Russia have marked 60 years of bilateral ties.
Today, Thursday, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov sent a congratulatory message to his Ugandan counterpart, Gen Jeje Odongo on this milestone.
In a letter to Odongo, Lavrov said that for six decades, Moscow and Kampala have been maintaining traditionally friendly and trustworthy ties based on the principles of mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests.
Lavrov said that committed cooperation in different areas, including trade, economic, scientific, technical and humanitarian spheres, is steadily developing, adding that bilateral legal framework is actively expanding.
“We note with satisfaction that today Russia and Uganda constructively cooperate in international affairs, have close views on the ongoing processes in the world and realities of the evolving geopolitical situation, share consonant approaches to resolving pressing issues and challenges of the international and regional agenda,” the letter from Lavrov to Odongo reads in part.
“We coordinate steps in the UN and other international platforms, work together to explore ways to prevent conflicts and new hotbeds of tension, strengthen stability and security in the Eastern African Region,” Lavrov added.
The Russian Foreign Minister said Moscow is ready to continue working with Kampala towards promoting mutually beneficial and multifaceted Russian-Ugandan partnership.
Lavrov’s message comes just a day after Uganda abstained from voting on a United Nations General Assembly Resolution condemning Russian President, Vladimir Putin’s decision to illegally annex four Ukrainian regions.
Yesterday, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that condemned Russia’s “illegal so-called referendums” in regions within Ukraine’s internationally-recognized borders, and demanded it reverses its annexation declaration.
143 countries voted in favour of the Resolution, 5 voted against it, while 35 countries abstained.
Uganda was among the 35 nations, most of which are African countries that abstained from voting.
The 5 that voted against the Resolution include; North Korea, Belarus Nicaragua, Russia, and Syria.
Last month, Putin ordered illegal referendums in four Ukrainian regions of; Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
As per the results of vote supervised by Russia and its allied separatists, people in the four Ukrainian regions overwhelming voted to join the Russian Federation.
It is however worth noting that under the UN Charter, it is illegal to hold a referendum during the war.
Ukraine is currently fighting Russian forces which invaded the Ukraine on February 24, 2022 on orders of President Putin.