On November 11-15, Minister of State (MoS) Vellamvelly Muraleedharan, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs paid an Official Visit to Uganda and Rwanda.This will be his first visit to both the countries.
Visit to Uganda: November 11-13, 2021
He paid an official visit to the Republic of Uganda (Uganda is known as the Pearl of Africa) to consolidate India-Uganda relations on the entire gamut of bilateral, regional and international issues, and set out a road map for future engagements.
Meetings and discussions:
i.MoS called on President of Uganda H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni where both sides expressed the further strengthening of relations.
ii.He also called on the Speaker of Ugandan Parliament, Jacob L. Oulanyah, and also invited him to visit India for the centennial celebration of the Public Account Committee in December 2021.
iii.He also had detailed discussions with the Ugandan MoS for Foreign Affairs, H.E.Henry Okello Oryem covering the entire gamut of bilateral relations including trade and investment, health, energy, agriculture, cultural exchanges, Indian Community related matters and other bilateral and multi-lateral issues.
- Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in these areas.
Inauguration of Learning Centre set-up under e-Vidya Bharti e-Arogya Bharti (E-VBAB) at University in Kampala, Uganda
MoS inaugurated the Learning Centre set-up under e-Vidya Bharti e-Arogya Bharti (E-VBAB) at the College of Computing & Information Science at Makerere University in Kampala. This will serve the education needs of young Ugandan students who can avail distance education facilities from Indian universities.
Other Interactions:
i.He interacted with the Indian diaspora in Kampala and also participated in the Indian Business Forum organized by the Indian Association of Uganda.
ii.He also addressed a business gathering organized by the Uganda Investment Authority.
iii.He also visited Jinja, source of Nile River to pay homage at the Bust of Mahatma Gandhi.
- This is the site where Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were immersed and is expected to be the site for Mahatma Gandhi Heritage Centre (MGHC).
Visit to Rwanda: November 14-15, 2021
During visit to Rwanda, he co-chaired the first India-Rwanda Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) in Kigali, Rwanda along with Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vincent Biruta.
- Both sides discussed the existing state of bilateral relations in areas including health, energy, agriculture, education, civil aviation, culture, defence, security and infrastructure development and expressed interest to enhance cooperation in these areas.
- The two sides also discussed regional, international and multilateral issues followed by an agreement for concluding the pending MoUs (Memorandums of Understanding).
Other interactions:
i.He also called on President of Rwanda Paul Kagame and invited him to India for an official visit.
- He also brief the President about the deliberations that were held in the JCM
ii.MoS inaugurated the India-Rwanda Entrepreneurship Development Centre in Kigali. has been built with Indian grant assistance.
iii.He paid a visit to the Nyabarongo Hydro Electric Project in Rwanda.It was Constructed through our Development Partneship,the 28 MW HEP is the largest in Rwanda, supplying 20 % power requirement and further visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial, and paid floral tributes to the victims of the 1994 genocide. He also interacted with the Indian community there.
Recent Related News:
India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) Subrahmanyam Jaishankar paid a visit to Slovenia (2-3rd September 2021), Croatia (3 September 2021) and Denmark (4-5 September 2021) to review the bilateral relationship and strengthen India’s cooperation with the 3 European countries.
About Uganda:
Capital– Kampala
Currency– Ugandan Shilling
About Rwanda:
Capital– Kigali
Currency– Rwandan franc