President Paul Kagame met with the Singaporean Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong at his office, Village Urugwiro, on Monday June 27 and discussed how they can build on the existing relations between the two countries.  

Loong was in Rwanda to attend the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that ended on Saturday, June 25.

Addressing the media after holding a tête-à-tête meeting, President Kagame said they agreed that the two countries are going to be "doing even more together in the years ahead.” 

He recognised Singapore as Rwanda’s reliable partner over the years, and that Rwanda values the links between the central banks of the two countries, trade and investments.

Kagame noted that Rwanda is looking at increasing trade and investment, as well as education cooperation with Singapore.

"We will work together in the area of technology which can catalyse our development, and see (how) the use of technology has contributed to the development in Singapore or other Asian partners,” he said.

PM Loong, who is on his first visit to Africa, said he is looking forward to working with President Kagame to ensure ties continue to grow, adding: "Although we are on different continents, our two countries have much in common.”

He added that; "Both are small countries, with limited resources. Both place importance on international cooperation to improve our societies and our peoples' lives. Both seek to work with other small countries to secure peace, progress, and prosperity for our peoples in a dangerous world.”

Loong referred to Rwanda as a country anxious to develop, pick itself up, reconcile and move forward.

Staying the course

Both Rwanda and Singapore have faced criticisms as they develop but still stayed the course. And according to PM Loong and President Kagame, the criticisms can sometimes come with lessons but importantly, what matters is being accountable to the people they serve.

According to Loong, "We stay the course because our first responsibility is to serve our people and to do the right thing for them, and make sure the country grows. You have to make up your mind, what is right, what is the direction you want to take and how you want to lead the country. You may be right or wrong, nobody has a monopoly of wisdom in the world and that’s why we listen to views and criticism in and from outside.”

Kagame was also in agreement with Loong, adding that democracy may mean one thing but it expresses itself in many ways, and that sometimes people can get confused when democracy is expressed in one way or the other and doesn’t meet the test of some people who eventually build criticism on that. 

"Results speak for themselves. At the end of the day, what matters most is, has there been any difference for the people, because everything is about the people. A judgement can be made by the same people that benefited from that difference that has been made,” he said.

Relations

Singapore and Rwanda established diplomatic relations on March 18, 2005, and have conducted a host of trade agreements since then. Visa restrictions were lifted for nationals of Singapore and Rwanda when travelling between the two countries and Rwanda’s High Commission was officially opened in Singapore in 2008. An agreement to avert double taxation was signed between the two countries in August 2014 in order to facilitate bilateral trade.

In 2012, Singapore supported Rwanda’s bid to hold one of the rotating seats in the UN Security Council, and Rwanda continuously supported Singapore’s candidature at the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Singapore is also Rwanda’s largest trading partner in the world, with approximately US$150 million worth of foreign direct investments made by Singapore companies in Rwanda.

A Guard of Honor welcoming Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as he arrived at Village Urugwiro

President Kagame interacts with Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of Singapore at Village Urugwiro

President Kagame hosted Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for bilateral talks.

The two leaders held a joint press conference following their bilateral meeting at Village Urugwiro on June 27. Photo by Village Urugwiro

Journalists who attended the joint press conference at Village Urugwiro

President Kagame addresses journalists during the joint Press Conference