Uganda will not succumb to the demands of Western countries to join their campaign to isolate Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, said the country's Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry Okello Oryem, commenting on Uganda's participation in the upcoming Russia-Africa Summit.
According to the minister, the Ugandan president is expected to join other African leaders in St. Petersburg for the key event in Russia-Africa relations. He noted that the country sees this as an opportunity to amplify Africa's voice on the global stage, while strengthening cooperation with Russia on a mutually-beneficial basis.
The official indicated that the discussion at the expected meeting between President Museveni and his host, Russian President Vladimir Putin, will revolve around issues such as security, technology transfer, energy and agriculture.
Reiterating that development of Uganda's oil industry and security issues will be the main topics of the upcoming bilateral, the minister emphasized that the West can't make the country capitulate to its demands.
Okello Oryem likewise challenged the moral right of Western countries to condemn Russia and put pressure on other nations to do so, given the fact that they have committed egregious crimes of destroying sovereign states. He referred to the 2003 American led invasion of Iraq and the 2011 NATO military intervention in Libya.
"Whenever they [Western states] do their military adventures in the name of spreading democracy, they should answer the question of where all the trained soldiers [of the toppled governments] go," the minister told local media, adding: "The West's mistakes of wars must stop."
The official added that Uganda supports the AU's position on resolving the Ukrainian crisis through political dialogue. He noted that this position was clearly articulated by the African delegation led by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who visited Ukraine and Russia last month.
On Friday, after the summit, Putin is expected to discuss the situation in Ukraine during a working lunch with African leaders. According to Ushakov, this means that the discussion and exchange of views on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis will continue. President Museveni was named in the delegation of the African peace mission to Kiev and St. Petersburg alongside the leaders of Comoros, Senegal, Congo, Zambia and Egypt. However, the president tested positive for coronavirus and couldn't attend the meetings.
The second Russia-Africa Summit and Economic Forum will be held on July 27-28.
According to the Kremlin, the summit is seen as an opportunity to discuss the Black Sea Grain Initiative and Russia's support for Africa. Summit participants are expected to sign a number of international and bilateral documents, the Kremlin added.