Kigali, 22 October 2011
President Kagame today received at Urugwiro Village Ambassador Johnnie Carson,the USAssistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs. Ambassador Johnnie Carson is on a three-nation tour of Africa, which started in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and will end in Niamey, Niger.
Speaking to the press after meeting President Kagame, Amb. Carson said: “My visit here has given me an opportunity to see the enormous progress that has been made since the tragic events of 1994, and also renew my friendship with President Kagame. This government should be complimented and applauded for the work that it’s done in agriculture, IT and the work it’s doing to improve schools and the lives of the people in general.
“I had during the course of this meeting an opportunity also, to talk with the President about regional affairs and issues related to peacekeeping and conflicts that persist in the horn of Africa and also applauded the President on his continuing contributions to peacekeeping in Darfur and Haiti. We also had a good conversation about domestic issues and it is apparent that the President is committed to doing the right thing with respect to providing services to the people of this country.”
Mrs. Mary Baine, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, talking to the press about the meeting, said that the President Kagame and Ambassador Carson had had good discussions on a wide range of issues concerning relations between Rwanda and the United States of America, Rwanda’s involvement in peacekeeping and regional issues:
“This meeting will go a long way in cementing the existing relations between our two countries. The President and Ambassador Carson discussed a couple of bilateral issues and exchanged views on elements that will promote peace building on the continent and the world in general.”
Since his arrival in Kigali from Kinshasa, Ambassador Carson met with several Rwandan officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defense. He also visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center where he laid a wreath on a mass grave and toured the genocide museum. Amb. Carson has been US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs since May 7, 2009.