Yuasa Investments Limited together with the government of Uganda last night bid farewell to the outgoing Turkish Ambassador to Uganda, His Excellency Fikret Kerem Alp at a dinner held at Yuasa Investments Ltd headquarters in Nakawa.
The farewell dinner was an appreciation for the economic and social partnership between Turkey and Uganda, in which H.E. Kerem has been a vital player.
While speaking at a farewell dinner, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Yuasa Investments, Hasham Wahaib praised H.E. Kerem for his resilient work to ensure that he creates bilateral bridges that have allowed the two countries- Uganda and Turkey to trade both in terms of goods and expertise.
He was also praised as a person who has played a great role in ensuring a socio-economic transformation in Uganda by supporting different communities in Uganda in terms of welfare, health and putting up supporting funds, especially for those in the rural areas.
“He has been like a brother, and a hardworking man who has extended the Turkish community again nearer to us and this has enabled trade between the two communities (Turkish and Ugandan) to flourish and because of this, exports to Turkey increased by 418 per cent in 2021,” he said.
Mr. Wahaib added that because of H.E. Karem, the relationship between the two brotherly countries (Uganda and Turkey) has gained momentum in all fields and the trade volume increased to $71 million in 2021, from $63 million in 2020.
“I also want to thank him for his generous heart, in his tenure millions of Ugandans especially those in rural communities have been helped with food, and there are certain communities that have gotten pure clean water. In another way I want to thank the government of Uganda for the investment atmosphere that it has provided to see we also serve our people which has also helped us to give back to the community,” he added.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gen Abubaker Jeje Odongo also praised H.E. Kerem, saying he has been extremely modest in all his work and has galvanized the level of trade between Uganda and Turkey.
“But more importantly he has been able to strengthen and deepen the relationship between Turkey and the Republic of Uganda. The height note of deepening and strengthening was witnessed by the visit of H.E. the president of Turkey here in Uganda. H.E Kerem very recently was able to facilitate Ugandan defence colleges students to go and study the systems in Turkey.”
“In his tenure, he has been very supportive to the Muslim community. He has also been able to galvanize the Turkish community with the Ugandan community. I also want to take this opportunity to appoint him to be our Ambassador, go to the rest of the world and tell them about how beautiful and friendly Uganda is, we wish you well and we pray that you succeed in your next assignments,” he said.
While giving his speech, H.E. Kerem, thanked the government of Uganda and all the ministers that have worked with him to see the two countries work together.
“Uganda is quite fertile and has a lot of natural resources, together with competitive skilled labour. There exist immense economic potentials that are capable of transforming the country into a key investment destination. We wish to see Uganda prospering in all spheres of development,” he said.
On spearheading and strengthening the trade vessels between the two countries, the envoy said it has been his diplomatic duty to see that there is a strong bridge that ensures business between the two countries.
“I carried out my duties with genuine love and affection for this beautiful country of Uganda and its beautiful people. I also carried out my duties with pride as the representative of Turkey. Any numbers or digits cannot measure these values,” he said.
H.E Kerem has been an Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in Kampala, Uganda, since December 2018. Before coming to Uganda he was Deputy Director General for the Balkans and Central Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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