The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Rwanda, Michael Ryan, has said that Europe shares in the collective memory of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and that, just like Rwanda, the EU is committed to promoting peace and a better life for all.

He was addressing officials and European citizens who turned up for the Europe Day celebrations in Kigali last week.

"A month ago we marked the 20th commemoration of the Genocide and we shared in the collective grief and memory of this nation’s awful tragedy. The EU has contributed to Rwanda’s impressive economic and social resurgence from the very start, helping finance its roads, schools, farming, business acumen, and justice system,” Amb. Ryan said.

"The EU has come a long way, but at its core are still the principles of democracy, human rights, peace, and prosperity; and the organisation’s success in promoting these both at home and abroad is what we celebrate on May 9. From Cairo to Kiev, people seek these same rights,” he added.

Earlier this year, the EU allocated €460 million (Rwf4.3 billion) to the government – as non-reimbursable grants for the next six years to be injected in several development projects, and according to the envoy, the body looks forward to broadening cooperation with Rwanda in areas of finance, governance, energy and rural development.

"Rwanda can be assured of its continued partnership with Europe,- a partnership that has endured and grown since the 1980s,” Amb. Ryan said

There has been a number of high-level visits between Rwanda and the EU this year, most notably being President Paul Kagame’s participation at the 4th EU-Africa Union Summit in Brussels in April.

Amb. Ryan also acknowledged Rwanda’s role in promoting regional peace and stability, as well as its leadership within the East Africa Community (EAC).