INDIA – RWANDA : REVIEWS BILATERAL COOPERATION AND COMMITS STRENGTHENING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

By Anni

Minister of State  for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan on Monday  reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation with Rwanda and committed to further strengthening the strategic partnership.

He expressed this resolve during his official visit to the Republic of Rwanda, where he Co-Chaired the first India-Rwanda Joint Commission Meeting, held on November 14-15, in Kigali, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

During the visit, MoS called on President of the Republic of Rwanda Paul Kagame. President Kagame conveyed his greetings to Prime Minister Modi and spoke about the strategic partnership between India and Rwanda and expressed his desire to work with India to achieve the full potential of this special relationship. He also invited the Indian leadership to participate in the CHOGM summit to be held in Rwanda  in 2022.

MoS briefed the President of Rwanda about the deliberations that were held in the JCM. MoS recalled President Kagame’s visits to India and also thanked him for addressing the Raisina dialogue virtually in April 2021.

The MEA release said that Muraleedharan also invited President Kagame to visit India for an official visit.

MoS Co-Chaired the JCM with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Rwanda, Dr Vincent Biruta. Both sides discussed the existing state of bilateral relations in areas of mutual interest including health, energy, agriculture, ICT, education, civil aviation, culture, defence, security and infrastructure development and expressed interest to enhance cooperation in these areas.

« The two sides also discussed regional, international & multilateral issues. Both sides agreed to work with each other for the early conclusion of pending MoUs and carry forward the work under the existing institutional mechanisms. The Rwanda side expressed their thanks for the developmental aid and co-operation being provided by India, » MEA said.

During the visit, MoS visited the Nyabarongo Hydro-electric Power project which was completed in 2015 under the Government of India’s Lines of Credit of USD 80 million. He also visited Kigali Genocide Memorial and paid floral tributes.

During the visit, MoS inaugurated the India-Rwanda Entrepreneurship Development centre in Kigali, which has been built with Indian grant assistance. MoS also interacted with the Indian community and appreciated their contribution in building socio-cultural & commercial ties between the two countries.

MoS Muraleedharan’s visit to Rwanda helped to sustain the momentum created by the visit of the Prime Minister of India to Rwanda in 2018 and marked the successful holding of the first-ever Joint Commission Meeting that set out a road map for future engagements, MEA said.