President Kagame hosts members of the Diplomatic Corps at the annual Diplomats’ Luncheon

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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:03 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:31 Excellencies, ambassadors, and high commissioners,

00:37 representatives of international organizations,

00:44 Excellency Francois Lansani-Farr,

00:51 special representative and the head of the United Nations

00:54 office for Central Africa, members of the consular corps,

01:05 distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

01:09 good afternoon to you.

01:11 [APPLAUSE]

01:15 I welcome you all to our traditional annual lunch.

01:23 Let me start by wishing you a very happy and productive year

01:36 2020.

01:38 I think we are off to a good start.

01:40 [APPLAUSE]

01:44 I trust you had an enjoyable holiday,

01:50 and hope many of you decided to spend it here with us

01:53 in Rwanda.

01:53 We have new envoys who presented their credentials earlier

02:05 today, as well as others who joined us over the past year.

02:14 You are all most welcome.

02:21 The start of this year and new decade

02:29 is an important marker of Rwanda in many ways.

02:39 We are concluding one chapter of our development vision, 2020

02:49 having achieved many of our goals.

02:56 [APPLAUSE]

03:02 By the way, before I continue, let me go back a little bit

03:06 and do something important I omitted.

03:13 I was wishing you a very happy new year.

03:18 I'm doing it on behalf of our government

03:23 and the people of Rwanda.

03:27 I also intended to do it on behalf of my best other half.

03:37 [APPLAUSE]

03:44 We normally host these lunches together with her.

03:50 I just wanted to apologize on her behalf.

03:53 She had to travel yesterday.

03:56 So she couldn't be here with us.

03:58 So I hope you understand.

04:02 But she asked me to pass on this message of greetings.

04:08 And that's why I have to apologize

04:09 having forgotten that.

04:12 [APPLAUSE]

04:16 So along the way, we have gained valuable capabilities

04:25 and learned many things through experience for our ambition

04:34 to transform Rwanda into a high income economy by 2050.

04:43 2050 sounds far away from today.

04:50 But it's only 30 years, isn't it?

04:55 Like those who have spent close to that,

05:01 being here since 1994.

05:03 So somewhere in the middle now.

05:10 We still have a long way to go.

05:14 But there is good pace on.

05:18 There is no doubt about the importance

05:22 of strong and productive cooperation,

05:25 both in our region and with the rest of the world.

05:32 I wish to thank you all for accompanying Rwandans

05:40 on this journey.

05:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]

05:45 Later this year, Rwanda will be honored

05:51 to serve as host of the 26th Commonwealth

05:58 Heads of Government meeting.

06:02 Our teams are working closely with the Commonwealth

06:08 to ensure a successful summit.

06:10 We are looking forward to your usual support.

06:15 [MUSIC PLAYING]

06:18 Related to that, we intend to make it even easier

06:28 to visit Rwanda by exempting citizens

06:33 of the African-American community.

06:37 By exempting citizens of the African Union, the Commonwealth,

06:43 and the Francophonie who want to exempt them

06:49 from paying visa fees.

06:52 [APPLAUSE]

06:55 We are going to do it even with some other countries that

07:01 are not members of these stated organizations.

07:05 So don't worry.

07:08 There are some good friends here represented.

07:13 So we have either taken care of that,

07:17 or we'll also take care of that.

07:19 [APPLAUSE]

07:22 We want more people to visit us.

07:32 I was going to say we don't want more money, but--

07:36 no, we want it.

07:37 But we are going to exempt only visa fees.

07:45 The rest, we want it.

07:46 Of course, citizens of all other countries

07:54 will continue to be eligible to obtain a visa on arrival, which

07:59 has already been in operation.

08:04 Next month, Rwanda will hand over

08:09 the chair of the East African community.

08:13 East African integration remains a priority.

08:27 Now, earlier, the dean of the diplomatic corps

08:35 mentioned things we achieved as the chair of the African Union.

08:46 Not only thanks for the compliment,

08:56 but also to you and through you to the heads of state

09:03 of Africa, they are really the ones who made my work easier,

09:14 with them giving the support they did give to me.

09:23 I couldn't afford to let them down.

09:26 So that's why we made progress.

09:29 [APPLAUSE]

09:32 Apparently, leading the East African community

09:38 has become more difficult. Fewer countries

09:44 being the chair of the community this year,

09:49 first, fewer countries, but more difficult

09:55 than leading the whole continent, so many countries.

10:03 Well, but leadership, whether it is of one country or--

10:12 even I find a lot of problems leading my own country.

10:17 And it is just one country.

10:18 So leading a community is assumed to be more difficult.

10:24 And in the continent, even for there,

10:28 we are told to serve as its own challenges.

10:34 On the East African community side,

10:37 and as we'll be happily handing over to another chair,

10:45 looking back, the East African community

10:50 has really made good progress over the years.

10:59 The East Africans generally work together.

11:04 And the East African community secretariat

11:10 has served us well, freedom of movement, of goods,

11:16 of different things, gone well.

11:22 Otherwise, one appreciates recent productive relations

11:28 with our neighboring country to the west.

11:35 I've had troubled relations again with that country

11:40 for some time.

11:41 It is good collaboration on cross-border trade

11:50 and joint infrastructure, as well as

11:52 on public health emergencies between Rwanda and the DRC.

11:58 We commend President Tshisekedi and the Congolese armed forces

12:04 to stabilize eastern Congo.

12:11 This has produced very good results.

12:15 We have already seen some of these groups

12:19 that have been roaming from place to place.

12:26 Mainly between two of our neighbors.

12:30 Some of them have been killed.

12:33 Some of them have.

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