Foreign minister conveys King’s message to Rwanda’s Kagame

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi on Wednesday delivered a letter from His Majesty King Abdullah to President of Rwanda Paul Kagame on the steps taken by the two countries to boost cooperation, and reaffirmed His Majesty's desire to develop relations between Jordan and Rwanda.

President Kagame conveyed his greetings to His Majesty and stressed his country's interest in enhancing the growing friendly relations between the two countries. The president also expressed his appreciation for His Majesty's desire to create broader prospects for cooperation in a variety of economic, commercial and defence endeavours, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The meeting followed the conclusion of a round of strategic discussions between Safadi and Rwanda's Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Vincent Biruta with the participation of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti and General Intelligence Department Director Maj. Gen. Ahmad Husni and their counterparts.

The meeting addressed cooperation in trade, tourism, healthcare, education and infrastructure, as well as the creation of legal frameworks that encourage cooperation between both countries’ private sectors, as well as defence cooperation and counter-terrorism efforts.

Safadi and his Rwandan counterpart emphasised the continued work on identifying areas and sectors for potential collaboration, and agreed to hold a political consultation session between the two ministries' officials to develop detailed programmes to increase cooperation in different areas.

Safadi and Biruta signed three agreements and memoranda of understanding over political consultations, higher education and scientific research, and visa exemptions for diplomatic, service and private passports holders. 

They also agreed to take measures to abolish visa requirements for nationals of the two countries, in a move to increase business interactions and encourage tourism.

At a press conference after the consultations, the ministers said that cooperation between the two countries is progressing effectively in compliance with the directives of His Majesty and President Kagame from their recent meeting in Amman.

The ministers also reviewed promising areas of cooperation, and emphasised continued coordination in the context of the Aqaba Process in their joint counter-terrorism efforts.

Safadi said that there are "great" opportunities for cooperation that can reflect positively on both countries, expressing his aspiration to increase collaboration in tourism, education, counter-terrorism and healthcare.

Biruta said that the discussions between Jordanian and Rwandan officials have reaffirmed the mutual commitment to promoting and enhancing bilateral relations at all levels.