Czech Republic Delegation to Visit Uganda amidst Deepened Defence Ties

Uganda will host a delegation led by Martin Tlapa, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. The delegation will include ministers and senior government officials who will be in Kampala from 23rd - 25th September.

“The main purpose of this visit is to further bolster the cordial bilateral relations and deepen cooperation between the Republic of Uganda and the Czech Republic,” the ministry of foreign affairs said in a Wednesday statement.

Uganda and the Czech Republic in June signed a deal to deepen defence cooperation.

The Minister of State for Defence Charles Engola signed on behalf of Uganda while the Czech Republic was represented by Tomas Kopecny, the deputy minister of defence.

Kopecny said that the defence relation with Uganda was initiated when he led a delegation to the East African in 2016.

According to him, Uganda has “become one of our most important partners in all of Africa.”

The minister flew into Kampala with a “delegation of almost 20 members” who are planning to launch various projects, he said via Twitter.

The European country opened its consulate in Uganda in 2020 appointing Stephen Mpuuga Kaboyo as the first consul.

In 2019, Czech Republic exports to Uganda were worth $14.9m against Uganda’s exports to Czech of $1.6m.

Czech sold agriculture machinery, defence equipment, electronics, medical apparatus and aircraft spare parts to Uganda while Uganda sent commodities like coffee, tea, spices and grains.