The Speaker of the Swedish parliament, Arbin Ahlin, yesterday commended the progress made by Rwanda since the end of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.

Ahlin was meeting Speaker Donatille Mukabalisa and a delegation of Rwandan parliamentarians who are on an official visit to Sweden.

He said owing to Swedish links to Rwanda and longstanding bilateral relations, Rwanda "has a special place in Swedish politics.”

Speaker Mukabalisa expressed her gratitude to Sweden for being one of Rwanda’s key development partners.

The Rwandan delegation is in Sweden at the invitation of the Swedish parliament. The visit follows visits by various Swedish parliamentary groups in recent years, including two Swedish parliamentary committees this year.

The Rwandan lawmakers also met with the Secretary-General of International IDEA, who is also the former Prime Minister of Belgium, Yves Leterme. International IDEA is an intergovernmental organisation focusing on democracy and elections. It has its headquarters in Stockholm.

Leterme praised Rwanda’s efforts in "pioneering, in some ways, a new kind of democracy” that emphasises inclusiveness. He said the format might be a role model for many countries.

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