Kigali, 23 November 2012
President Kagame today, while officiating at the swearing-in of the newly appointed State Minister for Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Permanent representative to the UN, said that serving on the UN Security Council would be an opportunity to stand for justice, for what is right and show that the new Rwanda is different from what it was 20 years ago. President Kagame reminded that the last time Rwanda was member of the UN Security Council, in 1994, the government then was at the same time perpetrating genocide and nothing was done about it.
President Kagame pointed out that Rwanda will not hesitate to exercise her responsibility for the region, continent and the global community and where things can’t be changed; Rwanda will speak up and stand for the truth:
“In the world we live in, facts don’t matter, it is the perception that does…we want to be people who can deal with both. I will not stop speaking the truth because some don’t want to hear it. It doesn’t matter how many times you repeat lies about us, it doesn’t make it the truth…we will not accept it. Rwanda will not accept to be told what to do by those who believe they are superior to Rwandans.”
President Kagame said that Rwanda is not the villain of the region, and that Rwanda will not accept to be made what it is not by those who want to portray it as the cause of the problems in Congo:
“We may be poor materially but we are not poor spiritually and intellectually. We can’t be made to dance around by those who think they are better…we are a small country but we are not small people. We will not be led around like cows, we are not cows. Rwanda is not the cause of the problem and even if they want to turn it into a fact, we will not accept. It’s apparent that for these people drawing reports of Rwanda, perception rather than the truth matters.”
President Kagame insisted that although people in this world want to define Rwandans according to what they want them to be, it is the responsibility of every Rwandan to say what is on their minds even when nobody wants to listen to them.
Ambassador Gasana’s appointment is aimed at giving him powers to represent the country at the United Nations in matters that require ministerial presence, especially now that Rwanda is a member of the UN Security Council.