Kigali, 21 June 2013
Today at Urugwiro Village, President Kagame received Ambassador Shu Zhan of the People’s Republic of China and Ambassador Nasreldin Ahmed Walli of the Republic of Sudan to bid farewell.
Ambassador Shu Zhan who is retiring from diplomacy shared his impression of his time in Rwanda:
“I feel very honored to end my 36 year old career in Rwanda. This country is determined, its development is self defined and the efforts can be seen quickly.”
Speaking to the press following his farewell to President Kagame, Ambassador Nasreldin Ahmed Walli shared his vision of continuous cooperation between both nations:
“Rwanda and Sudan have a lot to share. I am confident that my successor will build on the foundation and bring the people of both countries together for closer cooperation.”
In line with its commitments from the Beijing Action Plan of the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (2013-2015), China agreed to expand its cooperation areas such as investment and financing as a means of boosting Rwanda’s sustainable development and open a credit line to support the development of infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing and development of small and medium-sized enterprises in Rwanda.
Ambassador Nasrelding Walli was the first Sudanese Ambassador to Rwanda and was appointed in 2011. During his tenure, he concentrated on reinforcing the relations between two countries, and his efforts led to the signing of a General Cooperation Agreement between Rwanda and Sudan. With both Rwandan and Sudan as members of Common Market for the Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the General Cooperation Framework signed on March 19th will allow for increased economic cooperation.
Currently, both nations have partnerships in the health and education sector. In addition, 3200 peacekeepers are currently serving under United Nations-African Union mission (UNAMID) in Darfur, Sudan.