"Mwiriweho neza!

I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate the Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda to the Kingdom of the Netherlands on this occasion as we celebrate the 15^th anniversary of its establishment in The Hague.

I further would like to commend the work that the Rwandan Embassy has been doing, since 2006, in maintaining and strengthening the friendship and cooperation between our two countries as well as ensuring the wellbeing of the Rwandan community living in the Netherlands. Because of this work, Rwanda enjoys excellent relations with the Netherlands.

In the last fifteen years, the Embassy of Rwanda has also been a key pillar in facilitating the increase of trade between the two countries and connecting investors. This has led to a growth in interest of Dutch companies to invest in and trade with Rwanda in various areas including in agriculture, coffee, horticulture and water resources management.

To cite a few data, the Netherlands imports from Rwanda was US$7.2 Million during 2020 while Rwanda imports from the Netherlands amounted to US$19.66 Million during 2019.

Another important point to note in the cooperation is that this year, we celebrated 25 years of cooperation between Netherlands and Rwanda in the justice sector. We appreciate the support offered by the Kingdom of the Netherlands through financial disbursements, human resources, infrastructural development, and capacity building. In line with this, I would like to express our sincere gratitude toward the Dutch Government for its support in the reconstruction of Rwanda after the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, in that aspect.

We further salute the strong cooperation at the multilateral level where both countries have supported each other including in the adoption of the UN handbook on combatting sexual violence in Peacekeeping operations, and The Kigali Principles on the Protection of Civilians, amongst others.

As I conclude, I wish to once again reaffirm the commitment of the Government of Rwanda to support the Embassy of Rwanda in the Netherlands in its activities that help to enhance cooperation with the Netherlands in both bilateral and multilateral settings, for the mutual benefits of our peoples.

I thank you for your attention and wish you a Happy Anniversary!"