President Kagame receives the medal in the presence of Prime Minister Philip Davis of Bahamas
At the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of independence of the Bahamas, July 10, the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame was awarded the Bahamas highest Medal of Honor in in recognition of his friendship to the Government and People of the Bahamas.
The 50th Anniversary of independence of the Bahamas was also attended by many dignitaries including Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell of Grenada, Prime Minister Ariel Henry of Haiti and the Commonwealth Secretary General, Patricia Scotland.
President Kagame was given the medal by the Governor General of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Sir Cornelius Smith, and the Prime Minister Philip Davis.
The Medal Known as ‘Order of Excellence’, founded in 2016, is one of the highest seven medals of recognition given by the government of the Bahamas.
These medals are: Order of Distinction, Order of Excellence, Order of Merit, Order of Merit of the Bahamas, Order of National Hero, Order of the Bahamas and the Order of the Nation.
In his speech, President Kagame expressed his gratitude for being given the Medal of Honor.
“I wish to express my deepest appreciation for the honor which has been bestowed upon me, I accept it humbly as a mark of the growing friendship between our nations,” the Head of State said.
President Kagame thanked the Prime Minister of the Bahamas who invited him for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the independence of his country and the Bahamians for a ‘historic day’.
“I congratulate you on this historic day marking the half-Century of the Bahamas as an Independent Nation. I have been privileged to spend this period with you and witness firsthand the achievement of this exceptional country,” He said adding, “I thank you for the invitation to participate in this celebrations. I doing so, I wish to underscore the importance that Rwanda attaches to fostering closer relations between our people.”
He also said that his visit strengthens the existing relations between the Bahamas and Rwanda, as well as the Caribbean and Africa.
“By that, I mean of course Bahamas and Rwanda, but also the Caribbean and Africa. The common History we share is undeniable and it is undiluted by the ocean that separates us,” he said adding, “Those bonds are solid foundation upon which to build stronger and deeper cooperation as we work together to address the challenges facing countries like ours.”
The head of State also highlighted that the Bahamas are a pillar of stability and prosperity in its region and a model to the small island developing states all over the world.
The Bahamas is a country consisting of nearly 700 small islands and cays located in the Atlantic Ocean, with a total land area of 13,878 km², and a total coastline of 3,542km, with Nassau as the capital.
Only about 30 of nearly 700 island are inhabited, and more than 2,000 low, barren rock formations.
It is a country that was colonized by the United Kingdom, and was granted independence on July 10, 1973. It is now part of the Commonwealth, a body that Rwanda has been part of since 2009.
So far, Rwandans who want to go to the Bahamas, are not required to apply for a Visa.
