Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu(r) announced that his country will open an embassy in Kigali as part of the expanding Israeli presence in Africa and the deepening of cooperation between Israel and African countries
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel has announced his country’s diplomatic decision to open embassy in Kigali.
Currently, Israeli’s Ambassador resides in Ethiopia and has under her responsibility Rwanda, Burundi and Ethiopia.
In Nairobi, Netanyahu met several African Heads of State who attended inauguration of Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday.
President Kagame also attended the inauguration and delivered a congratulatory message on behalf of all Rwandans.
“I met today with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and informed him that Israel would open an embassy in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, for the first time. This move is part of expanding Israel’s presence in Africa and deepening cooperation between Israel and the African countries,” wrote Netanyahu on twitter.
According to previous reports, Israel chose Rwanda as its African key partner which helped to restart new relationship move between Israel and Africa.
In July this year, Netanyahu congratulated President Kagame for having given him vital advice on how to start that Israeli-Africa partnership.
“I would say you were the indispensable bridge on which we marched to make our return to Africa, step by step, with very sound advice, very, very wise counsel,” reads part of his speech to welcome President Kagame who was on a 2-day state visit to Israel, accompanied with First Lady Jeannette Kagame.
Beside this however, Rwanda has historical bonds with Israel.
Both countries experienced a dark past; the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda where more than a million were massacred within 100-days.
In the holocaust, six million Jews were killed by the Nazi Germany and the World War II collaborators with the Nazis between 1933-1945.
“My message today is simple. Rwanda is, without question, a friend of Israel,” said President Kagame at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in Washington DC in March this year.
Business and academic partnership between Rwanda and Israel is also on the rise. Rwanda already has an Embassy in Telaviv.
