Canada to set up high commission in Kigali

Canada plans to open a high commission in Rwanda, as part of its efforts to scale up the country’s diplomatic presence around the world. The announcement was made by country’s minister for foreign affairs, Mélanie Joly. Jolly is accompanying Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, who is attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), in Kigali. “We believe that more than ever, Canada’s voice needs to be heard, and to do that, we need to have more resources and more boots on the ground,” she told reporters. “And it is a pleasure for me to announce that we will be opening an embassy for the first time here in Kigali, Rwanda and we will have an ambassador working also from here.” Joly also disclosed that her country will appoint a new ambassador for the African Union, who will be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The move, according to her, is the first step in making sure Canada gets a stronger diplomatic presence in the world. “We believe that this is actually the best moment to do so because these global challenges must be dealt with, and diplomats need to be at the table negotiating and finding solutions,” she noted. The Canadian Prime Minister’s plane touched down on Wednesday night in Kigali, where he will join other heads of government from the other 53 countries of the Commonwealth. Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are also scheduled to attend the gathering.

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Canada to set up high commission in Kigali