Hon. Oryem Henry Okello, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of International Affairs on Friday 3rd April 2026 made an official visit to Baku, Azerbaijan as a Special Envoy of H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Hon. Oryem met the Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan H.E. Samir Sarifov where he delivered a letter of invitation from H.E. the President of the Republic of Uganda inviting the Azerbaijan President H.E. Ilham Aliyev to the Presidential inauguration scheduled to take place on 12th May 2026. The Minister also delivered another letter from His Excellency the President to the Azerbaijan counterpart inviting Azerbaijan investors to Uganda to take advantage of the various investment opportunities in the country particularly in the sectors of; Agriculture and Agro-Industrialization, Tourism Development, Minerals Benefaction, Science, Technology and Innovations as well as Oil and Gas.
The Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister recalled with profound satisfaction and positive impetus the excellent bilateral relations between Uganda and Azerbaijan whose 30th anniversary was marked in 2025.
The two concurred on the fact that the excellent political bilateral relations should be leveraged to expand and deepen economic cooperation by among others, prioritizing the conclusion of Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and MoU on Avoidance of Double Taxation.
During the visit, the 3rd Political Consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Uganda and Azerbaijan was also held where the two sides reviewed progress since the 2nd Consultations that was held in August 2025. The two sides noted with satisfaction the progress made particularly the implementation of MoU on visa waivers for holders of Diplomatic and Official Passports that took effect on 1st April 2026.
On economic cooperation, the two sides agreed to cooperate in the areas of Agriculture and Agro-Industrialization, Minerals, Oil and Gas, Energy, Tourism and ICT. In this regard, Azerbaijan will be sending a business delegation to Uganda both from the government (State Companies) and private sector in 2026-exact dates to be agreed upon through diplomatic channels.
Azerbaijan also announced that it will increase the number of scholarships for Ugandan students as well as provide opportunities for Ugandan diplomats to undertake short courses at the Azerbaijan diplomatic institute.
Finally the two countries also committed themselves to supporting each other in international fora including the United Nations and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) among others.
