Rwanda and Zimbabwe sign three more key agreements
key agreements as the two countries continue
to cement their relations.
Pacts signed include the Extradition
Treaty, Memorandum of Understanding
on Immigration Cooperation and another
memorandum on Cooperation when
investigating civil aircrafts accidents and
serious incidents.
During the signing of the agreements,
Rwanda was represented by the Minister
of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation, Vincent Biruta, who is in
Zimbabwe.
While Zimbabwe’s Home Affairs,
Minister Kazembe Kazembe, represented
during the signing of the Extradition Treaty
and the Memorandum of Understanding on
Immigration Cooperation.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade, Fredrick Shava, signed
the MoU on Cooperation for investigating
civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents.
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson
Mnangagwa witnessed the signing of the
agreements at State House on 29 July 2022.
After the signing ceremony, Biruta said
Rwanda’s partnership with Zimbabwe is
mainly to deal with trade and investment
between the two countries.
“There are many sectors; I talked about
trade and investment, which is a huge area
which comprises agriculture, energy and
many other sectors,” Biruta said.
“We have MoUs in place so we just need
to implement them and start working.”
Both countries held reciprocal trade and
investment conferences aimed at identifying
and exploiting opportunism presented by
each of the two countries.
The Rwanda and Zimbabwe Trade and
Investment Conference held in September
last year in Kigali was officially opened by
President Paul Kagame which Zimbabwe’s
President Mnangagwa officiated at the return
leg in Harare in March this year.
“Zimbabwe and Rwanda enjoy an
excellent relationship and we have many
other MoUs, 19 of them,” Biruta said.
“Some have started being implemented
and these ones need also to be implemented
and we need to come up with action plans
between both governments to implement
the MoUs and the agreements that we have
signed.”
“All these MoUs, the agreements that
we are signing are just a framework to be
able to work on various issues. We signed
an extradition treaty and this is a very
important instrument to be able to deal with
criminals who could be here or in Rwanda
who committed crimes here,” Biruta added.