The Governments of Rwanda and Belgium yesterday reviewed their progress in various bilateral issues in a meeting held at the Foreign Affairs ministry in Kigali. The high-level diplomatic meeting was attended by senior officials from both sides.

The head of the Belgian delegation, Bruno George, emphasized the need to further mutual cooperation between the two countries.

"We must step up our bilateral relations to help us achieve the set goals and objectives of our joint programmes,” he observed.

Bruno added that much has already been achieved within the bilateral cooperation framework. The head of Europe, America and International Organisations at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Ben Rutsinga, said that the meeting was solely aimed at reviewing the progress made in 29 projects and programmes running from 2007 through 2010.

"We are basically looking at issues like whether money in various cooperation areas was put to good use, and the scope of the activities undertaken so far,” he said.

These programmes are coordinated by a Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation. The projects cover such areas as justice, education, health, capacity building and infrastructure development.

The four-year joint development partnership has a total budget of Euros 140 million, meaning Euros 35 million annually.

Until recently such meetings have been taking place annually, but they have since been made biannually. The Secretary General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amandin Rugira, said that the joint meeting was meant to lay the ground for the next phase running from 2010-2013.

"So far we are doing well. The involved partners have been active at all levels,” Rugira observed.

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