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NewsTranscript
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.