President Paul Kagame and his Latvian counterpart Edgars Rinkēvičs have emphasised the importance of deeper economic and political cooperation between Rwanda and the European country.

Kagame is on an official visit to the north eastern Europe country from October 1 to 3, marking the first-ever visit by a Rwandan head of state to the Baltic States, as well as the first official visit by an African leader to Latvia.

At a joint press conference on Wednesday October 2, Kagame said his discussions with Rinkēvičs as well as between the two countries’ delegations showed that Rwanda and Latvia share strong bonds of friendship.

"The purpose of this visit is to explore new opportunities for the mutual benefit of our people,” Kagame said.

"There is already a growing interest in the field of sustainable agriculture. What also unites Rwanda and Latvia is a common understanding that we can no longer do business as usual.

"We need a multilateral system that is more fit-for-purpose, and which treats everyone equally. We also need to prioritize growth areas, such as information technology. Ultimately, the mindset we have is to work together, to find solutions to our unique set of challenges,” he added.

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On his part, Rinkēvičs said there is already good potential for economic cooperation between Rwanda and Latvia.

"We have created a good and efficient cooperation mechanism between our foreign ministries. We are consulting each other and soon we will have our honorary consulate in Rwanda, which might be an efficient vehicle for further deepening of the bilateral, economic and political dialogue and cooperation,” he noted.

He pointed out that Kagame’s visit to Latvia is not only aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation but regional cooperation as well.