Uganda Will Continue Military Cooperation With Russia - Foreign Minister

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2023) Military cooperation with Russia is a matter of "life and death" for Uganda, and Kampala is determined to preserve it despite the pressure and threats of sanctions coming from the West, Ugandan Foreign Minister Abubaker Jeje Odongo told Sputnik.

"We were colonized and we forgive those who colonized us. Now the colonizers are asking us to be enemies with Russia who never colonized us, is that fair? It is not, so for us, their enemies are their enemies, our friends are our friends. There should be exclusion, there should not be an interference on that matter," Odongo said.

Uganda and Russia have long-standing relations dating back to the 1960s, and many Ugandan students have been schooled and trained in Russia, the minister said.

"Most of our military equipment is Russian-made and so, in spite of the so-called sanctions for Uganda, to continue to defend itself it must continue to renew the equipment it has. So the question of sanctions, it is tricky but for us it is a matter of life and death. And we will continue because we must survive," Odongo added.