The ruling RPF-Inkotanyi and their Cuban counterparts, the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC) have agreed to broaden the framework of the existing ties with a view to promote the well-being of the people of both countries.

The commitment was made during a meeting held yesterday between Cuban Vice President Salvador Valdes and the Vice Chairperson of RPF Inkotanyi, Consolee Uwimana, during the visit by the former at the RPF headquarters in Rusororo, Gasabo District.

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The visit to the ruling party headquarters was the final leg of Valde’s visit to Rwanda which started early this week and during the discussions, the two delegations affirmed the shared values that characterize both parties, which they said should catalyze even better ties.

"The Communist Party of Cuba and RPF-Inkotanyi have a lot in common. We share a commitment to a pro-people approach to governance, and our revolutionary methods of work characterize our political movements,” she said.

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She added that the cooperation framework binding both political parties should allow them to benefit from collaboration in different areas of mutual interest, including cadreship development, economic development, science and technology, as well as cultural exchanges to enhance people-to-people diplomacy.

Currently, Uwimana said that Rwanda has benefited from cooperation with the Republic of Cuba, especially in the education and medical sectors, through the scholarships that were awarded to Rwandan students to study medicine in Cuban colleges.

"We are also grateful for the tripartite cooperation agreement in the medical field which deployed Cuban doctors in Rwandan Hospitals until 2012. This solidarity was a valuable contribution to building our health sector when we needed it most. Thank you very much for these generous actions.”

On his part, Valde stressed the importance of the two parties working together, stressing that the impact of such collaboration trickles down to the people.

"This is an excellent way of closing my visit to Rwanda. We have met the President, the senate president, and other leaders and we have been able to discuss how to better different areas of cooperation,” he said.

Valde added that when they return home, they will be following up closely on the general elections to be held in Rwanda next year and he wished well the ruling party in the forthcoming polls.

Rwanda will next year hold general elections, which will see the head of state and members of parliament elected for a five-year term.

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Meanwhile, Valdes reiterated the commitment made during a recent meeting between President Paul Kagame and his Cuban counterpart where the two leaders agreed to fast-track the process to have ambassadors resident in both capitals.

Currently, the Cuban ambassador accredited to Rwanda is resident in Kampala, Uganda.

Rwanda and Cuba will next year celebrate their 40-year anniversary of bilateral cooperation and according to Valde, the new direction will see the two countries work together not only bilaterally but also multilaterally.