The Hague, 6 October 2015
President Kagame today concluded a two-day official working visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
After addressing over four thousand Rwandans and friends of Rwanda during Rwanda Day on Saturday, President Kagame commenced his official working visit to the Netherlands by meeting His Majesty King Willem-Alexander in Amsterdam before holding discussions with Queen Máxima that mainly dwelt on financial inclusion.
As one of Rwanda’s earliest development partners after the end of the Genocide against the Tutsi, the Netherlands continues to be a key supporter of Rwanda’s justice sector.
President Kagame also held discussions with President of the Senate Ankie Broekers-Knol and Speaker of the House of Representatives Anouchka van Miltenburg as well as Mr Bert Koenders, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
During the meeting with the President of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives, President Kagame highlighted the strength of Rwanda’s bilateral relations with the Netherlands:
“The country was rebuilt from scratch, thanks to the resilience of the people of Rwanda and support of partners such as the Netherlands. Rwanda has been developing over the last two decades against many challenges in different areas.”
Speaking during a business roundtable dinner hosted by Sharon Dijksma on Monday, President Kagame encouraged business leaders to join Rwanda’s journey:
“Investments in Rwanda not only have returns for investors but it also has impact in transforming lives.”
Commenting on Rwanda’s success on the MDGs, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives expressed commitment to continued and strengthened bilateral relations.
President Kagame ended the working visit after meeting with Bert Koenders, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The Netherlands is leading among European nations in holding genocide fugitives accountable and remains a key partner to Rwanda in the justice sector as well as water management and food security.
To date, there are 10 private investment projects from the Netherlands with a total value of 52, 7 Million USD.
Tweeting at the end of the visit, Minister Mushikiwabo pointed to progress made on investment from the Netherlands, including Heineken which is doing good business and KLM, a Dutch airline that has regular flights to Kigali, not to mention investments in energy and agribusiness among others. She pointed out that the visit was two days of productive discussions on business, politics and global issues.