The office of the President of Latvia has announced that President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, will be in Latvia on a working visit from 1-3 October 2024.
This will be the first official visit by a Rwandan President to the Baltic States and the first official visit by an African President to Latvia.
“During the visit, the President of the Republic of Rwanda will meet with the highest officials of Latvia – President Edgars Rinkēvičs, Speaker of the Saeima (Parliament of Latvia) Daigas Mierinas, and Prime Minister Evikas Silinas,” read the statement from the Presidency of Latvia.
During the visit, a memorial to honour the victims of the 1994 Genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi will be inaugurated at the National Library of Latvia (“The Castle of Light”).
This will be the first genocide memorial erected in the Baltic States and in Eastern Europe.
According to the statement from the Latvian office of the President, during the meeting, President Edgars Rinkevičs and President of the Republic of Rwanda Paul Kagame will discuss bilateral relations between the two countries, current security challenges in Africa and Europe, as well as cooperation in international organizations.
Diplomatic relations between Rwanda and Latvia were established on 10 April 2007.
On 19 September 2023, during the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs met with President of Rwanda Paul Kagame to express Latvia’s appreciation for Rwanda’s strong position in protecting international law.
During the meeting, the Presidents of the two countries discussed Rwanda’s regional engagement in Africa, specifically in the peace efforts in Mozambique and the Central African Republic, as well as its involvement in UN peacekeeping missions.
The Presidents of Rwanda and Latvia also discussed exchanges of high-level visits between the countries.
In the northeastern corner of Europe, Latvia is the center of the three Baltic states, flanked by Estonia and Lithuania. It sits across the sea from Sweden, south of Finland, and just northeast of Germany. Having lived by the banks of the Baltic Sea for several millennia, Latvia is home to restless minds and talented people.
President Kagame to Visit Latvia
