VP Ssekandi in Iran for OIC Summit

TEHRAN - Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi has said Uganda and Iran enjoy a lot of common interests in socio-economic spheres, saying the future relations are even more promising.

Ssekandi met Iranian President Hassan Rohani in the capital Tehran at Tehran Conference Centre, and hailed the cordial bilateral relations between the two countries.

He flew there to attend the 9th session of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic countries as a special guest and as one of the body’s former leaders.

The two-day summit brought together speakers of parliament from 48 Islamic countries, their deputies and a number of Islamic institutions from across the globe.

When the two met, Ssekandi called on President Rohani to encourage Iranian business people to invest in Uganda since it is a growing economy with diverse investment opportunities in almost all sectors of its economy.

The Uganda VP briefed the Iranian leader on Uganda’s efforts and commitment to the peace process in the Great Lakes region specifically in South Sudan, Somalia and the DRC.

And he underlined that Uganda needs support to ensure the return of sanity in the conflict areas in the region.

Earlier while presiding over the function, President Rohani called on all member states – most of whom are emerging economies – to embrace new doctrines of unity to be able to transform their countries.

He placed emphasis on the importance of brotherhood in the Islamic union to address emerging challenges and build self-confidence in the OIC spirit.

The statesman further called for tolerance and dialogue on matters of any conflict to avoid unnecessary violence.

The conference was addressed by Uganda’s speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga, the outgoing chairman of the Parliamentary union of the organization of Islamic countries and speaker of the national Assembly of Sudan Dr. Alfatih Izzeddin Almansour.

The incoming chairman and speaker of the Islamic republic of Iran, Dr. Ali Larijaniand, also delivered an address.

The event is in commemoration of the15th anniversary of the organization of the Islamic Countries since its inception.