Museveni set for four-day visit to Rwanda

Jul 29, 2011

PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni will on Friday begin a four-day state visit in Rwanda.During the visit, Museveni will hold talks with his counterpart, President Paul Kagame.

By Raymond Baguma

PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni will on Friday begin a four-day state visit in Rwanda.During the visit, Museveni will hold talks with his counterpart, President Paul Kagame.

Richard Kabonero, Uganda’s high commissioner to Rwanda, yesterday said the visit is preceded by a two-day Joint Permanent Commission (JPC) forum for bilateral cooperation.

The JPC meeting, which began yesterday, is chaired by Uganda’s foreign affairs permanent secretary James Mugume and his Rwandan counterpart, Mary Baine.

Defence minister Dr. Crispus Kiyonga and trade minister Amelia Kyambadde, also attended. Kabonero said the on-going JPC meeting would discuss cooperation on issues of defence and security, infrastructure development, ICT, education, agriculture and food security as well as international cooperation.

At the end of the meeting, the permanent secretaries will report the outcome to the foreign affairs ministers Sam Kutesa and Louise Mushikiwabo, who will in turn report to the heads of state on Friday.

Kabonero said Museveni would on Saturday participate in the general cleaning of Kigali city under the monthly “Umuganda” community service.

He will also tour industries and the Free Trade Zone.

Later, Museveni will hold talks with Kagame and address a joint press conference before attending a state banquet organised in his honour.

On Sunday, he will meet a group of Ugandans under their association in Rwanda.

Kabonero said there are about 4,000 Ugandans living in Rwanda, with 500 of them resident in Kigali.

They are employed as teachers, doctors, while others are artisans in furniture and restaurant businesses.

“Our relations are fraternal and deep and this visit will deepen our cooperation which exists between the people and the governments,” Kabonero said. Mushikiwabo told Rwandan daily New Times, “Uganda and Rwanda enjoy strong and historical ties, including shared membership in the East African Community as well as the Commonwealth; and we are constantly looking for ways the people of our two countries can continually benefit from that relationship. The upcoming visit by President Museveni fits in that perspective.”

Since last year’s JPC held in Kampala, bilateral cooperation between the two countries has improved, with the Katuna border post working 24 hours and an on-going cable project to improve the ICT infrastructure in the two countries.

Also, the two countries had improved in security cooperation, with defence and security chiefs holding meetings twice a year to ensure security in the region.





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