President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday (May 10) evening began a four-day official visit to Uganda.

During the visit, President Rajapaksa will hold bilateral talks with Uganda ’s President Yoweri Museveni and attend the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Local Government Conference 2013, after which he will launch a trade exhibition.

The President is also expected to make visits to the Masulita Vocational Training Center and the Sugar Corporation of Uganda. The latter, established in 1924, reportedly plays a big role in the Ugandan economy.

Sri Lanka and Uganda established diplomatic relations in 1972, and since then, a former Ugandan president and a prime minister had visited Sri Lanka. Uganda ’s current President Yoweri Museveni also visited the country last November.

Uganda has continuously supported Sri Lanka in various international fora, including at the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in 2012 and 2013 where it voted against the resolution on Sri Lanka.