President Paul Kagame on Thursday afternoon met his host President Felix Tshisekedi at the Palais de la Nation in Kinshasa for bilateral talks, ahead of the inaugural Men’s Conference on Positive Masculinity, which was held in the evening the same day.

Kagame appreciated his Congolese counterpart for the invitation to attend the conference on Gender Violence against Women and Girls as well as the role of men in curbing the vice, stressing that Africa has a role to play.

"But equally important is always a discussion that we have about our bilateral cooperation that is important for peace, development, and stability not only for our two countries but also for the region and beyond,” Kagame said.

He said that the invitation and conference have come in at the right time to renew the friendship and cooperation between "our two brotherly countries DRC and Rwanda.”

Rwanda and DR Congo boast of cordial relations. The two countries mid this year signed three key bilateral agreements as they look to further enhance trade and diplomatic ties.

The agreements include a bilateral investment treaty, a double taxation avoidance agreement, as well as an MoU on a mining concession.

After meeting with DR Congo President, Kagame also met Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe, before joining fellow Heads of State for the inaugural Men’s conference on Positive Masculinity.

The masculinity meeting coincided with the launch of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, which happens globally every year to raise awareness around GBV.