Kigali, 01 August 2011
President Kagame and his guest, President Museveni today held a joint Press Conference where they answered questions on various issues. The joint press conference marked the conclusion of President Museveni’s four-day working visit to Rwanda which commenced on Friday, July 29.
The two presidents dwelt on issues of bilateral cooperation, harnessing better relationships, fast-tracking regional integration and how Somalia problems can be dealt with. In a joint Communiqué, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo announced that President Kagame had accepted an invitation from President Museveni to visit Uganda at a time convenient to him.
In the Joint Communiqué also, the two heads of state, after bilateral discussions, directed that cooperation between the two countries should be enhanced through bilateral meetings and reciprocal visits, to fast-track the East African Community integrations, to consolidate the gains of the NRM and RPF liberation struggles for peace, stability and progress in the region and the entire continent. The two Presidents also directed that Rwanda and Uganda should exchange programs and share experiences on development and technology in order to ensure the socio-economic transformation of the people of the two countries. Ministers from Rwanda and Uganda also signed MoUs for cooperation in areas of agriculture, ICT, environmental management and coffee promotion as part of resolutions of the Joint Permanent Commission.
Answering a question about the significance of President Museveni’s visit in terms of bilateral cooperation between the two countries, President Kagame said: “We are happy about this visit – personally, at government level and at the level of the ordinary citizens. You can read all this from the mood around. We will build on that for a brighter future.” President Museveni reiterated that there should be no reason why people of Uganda and Rwanda should not work closely together because they are one people. “We are happy with our people in Rwanda because they rescued us and provided electricity for Kisoro. During the Joint Permanent Commission we also discussed how Uganda can provide electricity to Kagitumba and this is how the two countries should work.”