Ministers Biruta and signed two agreements aimed at deepening cooperation between Rwanda and France.
The Governments of Rwanda and France on Saturday committed to a four year partnership that will see the European country fund development initiatives in Rwanda through a €400 million partnership in different sectors including health, environment and education.
Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Dr. Vincent Biruta met and held talks with his French counterpart, Stéphane Séjourné, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, before they signed two agreements, including an Air Services Agreement and a bilateral development partnership agreement running from 2024 to 2028.
Minister Séjourné, who is leading a French delegation which will participate in Kwibuka 30 activities, said France is looking to continue supporting Rwanda’s development journey while Dr. Biruta said that the meeting was an opportunity to strengthen relations between France and Rwanda in many areas of common interest.
“This relationship continues to grow every day and we can particularly highlight the growing cooperation through the work of the French Development Agency here in Rwanda. The French Development Agency has been financing numerous projects since 2021,”
Dr. Biruta said France has supported Rwanda’s socioeconomic development over the years.
Among other areas, Dr. Biruta said France has supported entrepreneurship in Rwanda through different initiatives to boost the development of small and medium-sized businesses in renewable energies as well as digital transformation,” he said.
He pointed out that last year in June Rwanda and France signed an agreement on avoidance of double taxation which served as a foundation for creating a conducive environment for trade and investment and the new agreements will complement the already existing agreements.
“As you know, for almost one year now, the national carrier RwandAir now serves the City of Paris with three flights per week, creating a connection between Paris and Kigali, which strengthens the economic and cultural links of these two French-speaking capitals,” Minister Biruta said.
He pointed out that Rwanda and France share a lot in common, including belonging to the same French-speaking family throughout the International Organization of the Francophonie, emphasizing the Government of Rwanda is committed to deepening further cooperation with France for the coming years.
On his part, Minister Séjourné said that he was delighted to be in Rwanda, not just to sign the agreements and strengthen ties but also to be there when the country is marking 30 years after the Genocide against the Tutsi, using the opportunity to pay tribute to the victims, their families and the survivors.
“I also came to testify that trust and friendship have been restored between our two countries. Reconciliation is a long journey. It is sometimes difficult and requires deep and sincere introspection on the part of everyone and to rebuild this trust and we doing that,”
“We relied on three pillars- history, memory and justice. History perhaps first with the Commission chaired by historian Vincent Duclert which notably opened the archives on Rwanda to researchers and to the whole world. On May 27, 2021, at the Memorial, the President of the Republic (Macron) also managed to put in words our responsibility which we failed to uphold at that time,” he said.
He pointed out that since then France and Rwanda have committed to work together to build memorials, revealing that France will preserve archives and testimonies which will be inscribed on a commemorative monument which will soon be unveiled in the heart of Paris.
In regard to Justice, he said France has intensified investigations and legal proceedings against suspected genocidaires on French soil to fight against impunity.
“We have enjoyed a strong, mutually beneficial partnership that is resolutely focused on the future. France has become a major partner of Rwanda with more than 500 million euros disbursed over the past five years,” Séjourné said.
