The Parliaments of Uganda and Ethiopia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which will see the two institutions working together to promote peace and stability in the Great Lakes region.
Rt.Hon. Rebecca Kadaga who signed on behalf of Uganda Parliament ,and Rt.Hon. Abadulla Gemeda Dago for the House of People’s Representatives of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia at a meeting in Addis Ababa on November 25,2013, agreed to support efforts to sensitize the public in both countries to fight terrorism and extremism and condemn state sponsored instability in the region.
Speaker Kadaga noted that although the members states have had a long standing relationshipparliaments also need to work closely to strengthen this cooperation.
“I salute the contribution of the government of Ethiopia in supporting the peace efforts in Somalia and Sudan. We have worked together as African nations to ensure regional stability. As legislators we need to support our presidents and prime ministers to ensure that what they do goes down to benefit the population,”she said.
Rt.Hon.Kadaga emphasized that cooperation between the parliaments of the two sister states will help to improve the experience of members through exchange visits.
“We have cooperated largely as countries in matters of defence especially on issues of Sudan and regional stability.We now need to formalise our relationship as parliaments.There is a lot we can learn from each other through exchange visits,” she added.
The two Speakers also resolved to support the Inter Parliamentary Union branch in the Great Lakes Regions as one of the avenues to improve cooperation between parliamentarians.
In his remarks Rt.Hon Abadullah Gemeda Dago the Speaker of the Ethiopian Peoples’ Assembly re-echoed the need for closer cooperation between the two parliaments.
“These two countries are fighting terrorism in the region.We have paid with a lot of lives together to attain stability. The partnership between the Parliaments of Uganda and Ethiopia will strengthen our relations more than ever,” he stressed.
Speaker Abadullah emphasized that cooperation between parliaments will also improve relations between the people they represent.
“Our relationship has been long standing since 1999 when we embarked on the stabilisation process for Somalia and Sudan.We want to continue this kind of cooperation. We have achieved a lot but we have much to achieve economically. We know that your parliament has excellent experience in parliamentary work. We need our parliamentarians to learn from you,” Speaker Gemeda Dago told the Uganda delegation.
The two parliaments pledged to promote parliamentary democracy and deepening of the multiparty system of governance and cultural diversity as a fundamental feature of world cultures, and to also support expansion of economic relations.
The agreement was witnessed by Uganda Parliament’s Deputy Speaker Rt.Hon. Jacob Oulanyah,the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Hon. Nandala Mafabi,back bench Parliament Commissioners,MPs Stephen Tashobya and Milton Muwuma,and Uganda’s Amassador to Ethiopia.