Ten new envoys accredited to Rwanda yesterday presented their credentials to President Paul Kagame at Village Urugwiro, pledging to enhance bilateral relations between Rwanda their respective countries.

The new envoys who presented their letters of credence include Julia Pataki, the Romanian Ambassador with residence in Nairobi; Konstantinos Moatsos, the Ambassador of Greece with residence in Nairobi; Rakiatou Mayaki, Niger’s Ambassador with residence in Pretoria; Seyed Morteza Mortazavi, the Iranian Ambassador with residence in Kampala; and Nicola Bellomo, the European Union Ambassador based in Kigali.

Others are Oumar Daou, Malian Ambassador; Abdalla Hassan Eisa Bushara, Sudan’s Ambassador; Ahmed Samy Mohamed El-Ansary, Egyptian Ambassador; Lulit Zewdie Gebremariam, Ethiopian Ambassador; and Joanne Lomas, the UK High Commissioner to Rwanda, all based in Kigali.

Briefing media after presenting their credentials, the envoys stated that their key priorities would be strengthening existing cooperation in areas of the economy, culture and politics.

Julia Pataki, the Romanian Ambassador, said that her discussion with President Kagame gave her a clear understanding of what needed to be prioritised, and that her country was committed to working with Rwanda.

"After discussions with the President, it is clear that there is interest on both sides to go forward and enhance our bilateral relations in several fields to sustain our political and economic interests. We are looking at possibilities in education, health, culture, as well as agriculture,” she said.

Pataki added that Romania is already cooperating with Rwanda in the execution of important projects that will ultimately benefit the people of both countries.

With about seven Rwandan students currently pursuing their bachelor’s degrees in Romania, the new envoy said that more Rwandans would soon access education in Romania.

Konstantinos Moatsos, the new Greek Ambassador to Rwanda, disclosed that Greece and Rwanda recently signed air service agreements that had the potential to boost tourism, trade, investment and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

"My job as an Ambassador is to promote bilateral relations in every field, and I have realised that the region has a rich cultural heritage just like Greece. We are already partnering with Rwanda in the field of international relations, and we recently signed an air services agreement. We want to continue our partnership,” he said.

The new diplomatic envoys also reiterated their support to President Kagame as he gets ready to take over the chairmanship of the African Union (AU) later this month.

The new EU Ambassador, Nicola Bellomo, who arrived in Rwanda last week, replacing Michael Ryan, said there was goodwill on the part of the EU to strengthen relations with Rwanda, based on frank dialogue on a number of issues.

"We salute president Kagame’s leadership, and we’ll continue to support him as he takes over the chairmanship of the African Union,” he said, adding that he told the President to always count on the EU’s support.

Niger’s Ambassador to Rwanda, Rakiatou Mayaki, said that her country also envisages a stronger continental body (AU) that would eventually benefit all Africans.

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