Speaker of Parliament Jacob Marksons Oboth has proposed using parliamentary diplomacy to revive stalled agreements between Uganda and Iran covering judicial cooperation, customs, banking and trade.
Oboth made the proposal on Thursday during a farewell meeting with Iran’s outgoing Ambassador to Uganda, Majid Saffar, who said the agreements had stalled at the final stage of administrative review.
The Speaker said Parliament could help address bureaucratic delays in the implementation of bilateral agreements by establishing direct cooperation frameworks, supporting enabling legislation and strengthening business connections between the two countries.
“From my background in Defence, I know executive channels often face bureaucratic bottlenecks,” Oboth said, according to a statement issued after the meeting.
He committed to reviving the Iran-Uganda Parliamentary Friendship Group with a new cohort of Ugandan legislators to strengthen parliamentary engagement between the two countries.
The discussions also covered Iran’s offers to supply steel and fertilisers to Uganda, provide drones for agricultural irrigation and security, and offer fully funded scholarships to Ugandan students.
The proposed cooperation comes as the two countries seek to advance agreements in key sectors, although the status of the offers and the timeline for implementing the stalled agreements were not specified.
Saffar was meeting Oboth at the end of his four-year tour of duty in Uganda. The Speaker thanked the ambassador for his service and wished him well in his next assignment.