Turkish president Erdogan arrives in Uganda for a 2-day visit

Turkish President Recep Erdogan has landed in Uganda for a two-day official visit to the East African nation. He was received at the Entebbe International Airport by Sam Kutesa, Uganda’s foreign minister, before visiting the state house.

President Erdoğan at Ugandan Presidential Palace https://t.co/eS492GNoUq pic.twitter.com/xJXa7rvwcc

— Turkish Presidency (@trpresidency) June 1, 2016

He has held bilateral talks with his host President Yoweri Museveni before a joint press conference.

The first leg of Erdogan’s sub-Saharan African tour was in Senegal in February. In April, he continued in West Africa with visits to Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, and Guinea.

The Uganda trip is part of Erdogan’s four-day tour in East Africa. He will head to Kenya on June 3.

Relations between Turkey and Uganda have since been developing steadily as a result of a series of exchange of visits, reports Turkish media outlet AA.

#Uganda – #Turkey sign 3 cooperation agreements and 3 MOUs; tourism, visas, mining, education…. cc trpresidency pic.twitter.com/mrEQZoqcWE

— Sarah Kagingo (SarahKagingo) June 1, 2016

The Turkish embassy in Kampala and the Ugandan embassy in Ankara opened in April 2010 and July 2013, respectively.

Museveni paid an official visit to Turkey in May 2010 at the invitation of then-President Abdullah Gul.

According to AA, Turkey’s bilateral trade volume with Uganda reached nearly $29 million in 2015, with most — about $22 million — coming from Turkish exports. Turkey’s main export products are cereal grains, electronic equipment, and rubber.

AA further says that there are around 20 Turkish companies in Uganda active in such sectors as dry food imports, ready-wear clothing, textiles, electronic cable marketing, restaurant management, and construction, with total investments of $150 million.

Other dealings include greenhouse technology, a meat-processing plant, and large-scale farming, according to Turkey’s Foreign Ministry.