Details have emerged of what Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni discussed with his Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin at the ongoing Russia – Africa summit.
Museveni is part of the African leaders attending the inaugural summit as Putin seeks to expand his influence on the continent and seek new friends.
Talks between President Museveni and his Putin focused on manufacture of human and livestock vaccines, space technology, construction, cyber technology and agriculture among others, as areas in which the two countries can cooperate.
During their brief bilateral meeting, President Museveni told the Russian leader that Uganda’s only ‘stumbling block’ has been the fact that in dealing with Russia, Uganda must pay cash first.
“Your excellency, first of all i thank you for calling this Africa – Russia summit, it has been long overdue. We have had these conferences with India, China, even Turkey and Japan and yet when we were fighting for freedom, its Russia and China which helped us,” Museveni said.
He added, “What i want to suggest in this meeting is a few areas which we could look at. Number one is defence and security, where we have been cooperating very well. You have supported building of our army by buying good Russian equipment, air crafts tanks and so on.”
Museveni also told the Russian leader that he intends to buy more but with an arrangement that allows payment later.
“We want to buy more, we have been paying cash in the past …and this slows down the pace. What i propose is that you supply and we pay, some sort of credit supply. That would make us build faster. We want to build a workshop for maintenance, overhaul and upgrade,” Museveni said.
Museveni’s meeting with Putin came on the heels of an agreement between the two countries to work together in the field of nuclear energy.
The agreement was signed last month by a Rosatom representative and Ugandan Energy Minister Irene Muloni on the sidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s general conference in Vienna.
The deal “lays the foundation for specific cooperation between Russia and Uganda” in the field of nuclear energy, Rosatom said.
It also paves the way for working together in “the creation of nuclear energy infrastructure, the production of radioisotopes for industry, medicine, agriculture, as well as the training of personnel.”
