Kigali, 26 August 2013‎

President Kagame on Sunday evening received a congressional delegation of six Republican senators and their spouses who were on a four-day visit to Rwanda. During their meeting with President Kagame, the senators commended Rwanda’s economic transformation.‎

Senator Roy Blunt from Missouri said:

“Twenty years of progress is impressive. The story we will tell is one of a country that has the commitment to develop on its own.”‎

Senator Johanns of New England described Rwanda as an example in the region:

“It never ceases to amaze me how one person with a vision can make a world of difference. We all admire immensely what you have done for your country.”

Senator Barasso of Wyoming commanded Rwanda for the ongoing drive to always achieve more:

“What we are seeing is optimism, confidence and sense of urgency from people who want to get things done. “‎

Thanking the senators for their visit, President Kagame explained that the lessons of Rwanda’s history serve as a key motivation to shape a brighter future:

“Nineteen years ago, we hit the bottom. We couldn’t sink lower. The only way to go was up. This is the journey we are on. What you have seen comes out of our attempt to be good students of history, good shapers of our future. With the kind of devastation we inherited, we have to ask ourselves, if we don’t do our best and meet the expectations of our people, what will all the suffering have been for?”‎

President Kagame added that Rwanda’s aim is to progress in partnership with other African nations:

“We are the people who should allow ourselves and other to enjoy the freedom that everybody, anywhere in the world, wants to enjoy. In some places this has been taken for granted.  For us it’s a struggle that continues. We don’t just struggle for ourselves, we struggle for other Africans. We want everyone to believe they can also achieve it. We want to live in peace with others. Our prosperity as Africans is intertwined”

During their four day stay in Rwanda, the congressional delegation visited an HIV treatment facility at the Kicukiro Health Center, the Peace Plan- an inter-religious health program launched by Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, the Kigali Memorial Centre, the Rwanda Trading Company and had the opportunity to visit the rare mountain gorillas in the Virunga National Park.