(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)

President Reuven Rivlin today (Tuesday, 9 January 2016), held a working meeting at his residence with the Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Louise Mushikiwabo.

The President welcomed Minister Mushikiwabo, and spoke of the importance of cooperation between the two nations. He said, "We are privileged to host you, and for the chance to speak about how we can work closer together to face the challenges before us, and also realise the opportunities we have for cooperation."

Minister Mushikiwabo thanked the President and said, "I am here to carry forward the special friendship between Israel and Rwanda.  We have in common more than our tragedies, but also the ambitions of our peoples, the desire for a good life. We are proud to help bring others in Africa to have greater friendship with Israel, and bilaterally, we are working together in the fields of security, water and agriculture. With our newly appointed ambassador and our newly opened embassy, we are looking to increase this cooperation."

President Rivlin said, "Africa is the future and we must be sure to focus on this. We share many threats, and understand the difficulty of carrying the burden of security." He added, "Your friendship is very touching for us, and is appreciated by all the Israeli people."

The two went on to speak in depth about the growing bilateral cooperation, the importance of the Mashav projects, and the broader regional situation.