President Paul Kagame said on Monday that Rwanda is set to open its first diplomatic mission in Budapest, Hungary, as part of the country’s plans to strengthen cooperation with the European country.

“Rwanda intends to open a diplomatic presence in Budapest, Hungary, very soon, as job creation for our countries and fostering an enabling environment for business are key priorities,’’ he said. 

Mr Kagame spoke at a press conference alongside his Hungarian counterpart, Katalin Novak, in Kigali, the Rwandan capital.

He said Rwanda and Hungary enjoy good relations and are committed to making bilateral ties even stronger.

The two leaders witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on training and education in the atomic industry for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and cooperation within the framework of Stipendium Hungaricum.

The MoU also included a Hungarian government higher education scholarship programme, and a loan facility agreement on the upgrading of the Karenge water treatment plant.

“Through the new agreements signed today, we are committed to building on this shared vision and creating mutually beneficial opportunities for the people of Rwanda and Hungary,” Mr Kagame said.

He commended Hungary’s loan offered to Rwanda to upgrade the Karenge water treatment plant, saying that Rwanda looked forward to benefiting from Hungary’s expertise in water management.

“We appreciate that we will also be working with Hungary to train Rwandans in the field of nuclear energy, an important component of our future energy plans,” he said.

“I look forward to exploring more opportunities to deepen our cooperation.”

Ms Novak said that Hungary recently opened a trade and consular mission in Kigali as part of strengthening bilateral cooperation with Rwanda.

“I am very happy that President Kagame has announced his willingness and plan to open their diplomatic mission in Hungary,” she said.

“So, in the very near future, they will also have a diplomatic presence in Budapest. We warmly welcome Rwanda’s decision, and I hope that it can give even more impetus to our cooperation.”

Ms Novak said her Rwanda state visit was her first visit as president to an African country, and she chose Rwanda because she wanted to see for herself how much Rwanda has developed in the past decade.

(Xinhua/NAN)