Rwanda has expanded its diplomatic footprint with the presentation of letters of credence of its first-ever envoy to the Republic of Kazakhstan, Ambassador Williams Nkurunziza, in Astana, on Monday.

Amb. Nkurunziza presented his Letters of Credence to Secretary of State of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Gulshara Abdykalikova at the Presential palace in Astana in the presence of the Kazakhstan Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Akylbek Kamaldinov.

Abdykalikova congratulated the Ambassador on his appointment and wished him success in advancing Kazakhstan-Rwanda relations, according to a statement.

She particularly pointed at the potential for collaboration between Rwanda and Kazakhstan in various areas, including agriculture and trade as well as in the pursuit of common interests, globally.

She invited Rwanda’s support to her country during its tenure as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and extended an invitation to Rwanda to participate in the 2017 EXPO set to kick off in Astana in June next year.

In his remarks, Amb. Nkurunziza conveyed President Paul Kagame’s fraternal greetings and best wishes to the President and people of Kazakhstan for the continued good health and prosperity, added the statement.

According to Nkurunziza, President Kagame sowed the seeds of the nascent relationship between Rwanda and Kazakhstan, when he became the first-ever African President to visit the country fondly known by its people as the Land of Wanderers.

"President Kagame and his government attach great value to our bilateral relationship. Rwanda believes this relationship must be underpinned by the commonalities in our foreign policies and the imperatives for mutually beneficial institutional collaboration, robust commercial engagements and strong people-to people contacts,” the Ambassador said, reiterating emphasis on sectoral cooperation in the agricultural space, adding on other areas like investment, industry, trade, energy, tourism, immigration and finance,” the statement reads in part.

The Ankara-based envoy also held bilateral discussions with the Kazakhstan Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kamaldinov, and attended a major conference on Kazakhstan’s 25 year independence anniversary.

He later hosted a reception for business people and diplomats in Astana and met with several leading captains of industry organised by a network of Friends of Rwanda in Kazakhstan led by Marc Holtzman.

Kazakhstan is the largest country and biggest economy in Central Asia with a GDP of nearly $60 billion and a GDP per capital of over $24,000 for its 17 million people population.

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