It is a great pleasure to welcome my brother, His Excellency, President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, and his delegation back to Rwanda for this timely and important visit.

Let me start by expressing our deepest condolences for those who lost their lives in the tragic train accident in Alexandria last Friday.

The friendship between Rwanda and Egypt has been productive and we look forward to doing even more together in the future.

Egypt has a lot to offer as an investor and business partner, for Rwanda and East Africa, and we are eager to deepen commercial ties.

Egyptians do not need to apply for a visa to visit Rwanda, and we hope to welcome tourists and businesspeople from Egypt to our country in even greater numbers going forward.

Egypt is also a critical partner in the effort to make the African Union more effective and financially independent and sustainable.

In our view, and for many reasons, Egypt is an important engine for positive change, particularly in Northern Africa region.

Mr President, thank you for honouring us with your visit. I look forward to working with you to strengthen the ties between our countries, and promote greater collaboration on our continent.

I thank you once again and now invite you to deliver your statement.