New Turkish envoy to Rwanda looks to further strengthen ties

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - Türkiye’s ambassador-designate to Rwanda promised Thursday to work to further strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries.

Aslan Alper Yüksel, who assumed his duties this week, replaced Burcu Çevik, whose tenure ended last month after taking office in 2019.

In a statement, Yüksel noted that relations between the two countries is based on mutual trust, friendship and cooperation, which have been rapidly growing in recent years.

“I look forward to devoting my efforts to upholding and further strengthening the strong cooperation between Türkiye and Rwanda in all spheres,” he said.

Rwanda and Türkiye maintain cooperation at the bilateral level covering a wide range of areas, including economy, trade, defense and security.

Last month, the two countries signed new agreements in areas of general cooperation and culture as well as science, technology and innovation.

The agreements were signed by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Rwandan counterpart Vincent Biruta in the capital Kigali.

Yüksel said the latest agreements “reaffirmed the excellent level of our relations.”

He added that the presence of Turkish citizens in Rwanda constitutes another important element of duty and responsibility.

He promised to meet with all individuals who he said “build a human bridge” between the two countries to listen to their views.

In terms of bilateral trade, Rwanda’s annual exports to Türkiye reached over $10 million last year, according to official data. Rwanda’s import volumes from Türkiye stood at about $79 million in 2021.