President Paul Kagame on Wednesday, February 8, received letters of credence from 14 new envoys who will be representing their respective countries in Rwanda. On a special note, the envoys include Barbados’ first ever High Commissioner to Rwanda (with residence in Nairobi) William Alexander McDonald, who told media in an interview that it is “a deep honour” to be the first to represent his country to Rwanda. ALSO READ: Rwanda, Barbados to strengthen trade and investment ties “The relationship (between Rwanda and Barbados) is growing, but more so, it is also fueled by the strength of the personalities of our Prime Minister and the President (of Rwanda). There are many areas that our two countries have found common purpose in, and I think through the adventures that we had in Covid-19, we realised that we are stronger together than we were apart,” he said. He spoke about Rwanda’s introduction of road tennis, a game that originates from Barbados, saying it is the gift of the people of Barbados to Rwandans. “Rwanda seems to have taken it on very well,” he noted, adding that the two countries can partner in a number of sectors including pharmaceuticals, tourism, education, and technology, among others. “I think that our mission here is going to be well worth it. Also praise to the president of Rwanda and the government of Rwanda for expressing the need to broaden its footprint because it is truly becoming a global player,” he said. Other envoys who presented their letters of credence are from Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire (with residence in DR Congo), Portugal (with residence in Ethiopia), Japan, Mali, Turkiye, Finland (with residence in Tanzania), Bangladesh with residence in Kenya), Chile (with residence in Kenya), Jordan (with residence in Kenya), Niger (with residence in Ethiopia), Mauritania (with residence in Sudan), South Sudan (with residence in Uganda). The envoys that spoke to media said they want to put effort into promoting the relations between their countries and Rwanda. “Certainly my responsibility is about strengthening relations between Rwanda and Cote d’Ivoire. We want to have stronger relations in the commercial, cultural, technical, and scientific domains,” said Silas Adjé Metch, the ambassador of Cote d’Ivoire to Rwanda. He specifically pointed out that he looks forward to establishing cooperation in air transport between RwandAir and Air Cote d’Ivoire. Theresa Zitting, the ambassador of Finland said that during the past three years the relationship between Rwanda and her country has become deeper and deeper, and she hopes it will even be better. “We have had rounds of bilateral consultations where we have been looking at trade issues, cooperation in meteorology for example and some other sectors as well,” she said. ALSO READ: What opportunities exist for Rwanda-Finland ties? Japan’s envoy Isao Fukushima described his country’s relations with Rwanda as “very good” and “long standing.” “I am committed to promote these relations, with focus on economic cooperation, education, agriculture and social infrastructure like water supply and electricity,” he noted. Luísa Maria Machado da Palma Fragoso, the Portuguese ambassador to Rwanda said that Portugal and Rwanda “plenty of opportunities” to develop first and foremost “the human factor.” “I think I would like to focus on education and culture, and with that many things will come along naturally,” she said.
