In June, international media reported that after EU countries selected Quintin, Rwanda contacted France to inform them that Quintin would not be accepted, citing strained relations between Rwanda and Belgium as the reason.
Rwanda's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Olivier Nduhungirehe told IGIHE in an exclusive interview that Rwanda never rejected the diplomat because it has no authority to do so.
"I don't understand why people say Rwanda rejected the EU's special envoy to the region because Rwanda is not an EU member. They are the ones to make the decision, not us, because it's none of our business," he stated.
Nduhungirehe explained that Rwanda merely expressed its concerns regarding Bernard Quintin, viewing him as someone who can be biased.
"We expressed our concerns regarding the candidate they had proposed, seen as biased. We established that he would be siding with Congo, which would not have made him impartial. However, this does not mean we rejected him, as we are not responsible for appointing EU envoys."
Minister Nduhungirehe's remarks came shortly after EU Commission spokesperson Eric Mamer disclosed that Rwanda had not interfered with the decision to send the diplomat.
The strained relationship between Rwanda and Belgium stems from Brussels' refusal to accept Vincent Karega, who was appointed as Rwanda's Ambassador, and Belgium's clear bias, siding with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel group.
Minister Nduhungirehe noted that since Belgium rejected Vincent Karega, Rwanda remains firm in its decision not to send another ambassador to Belgium.
He stated, "There have been no further discussions regarding the rejection of Ambassador Karega. We have made it clear that he is the one we nominated as Rwanda's Ambassador to Belgium, and we will not send another. This is where we stand now."
In September 2023, President Kagame announced that Belgium never provided reasonable explanations to Rwanda after rejecting Ambassador Vincent Karega and that Rwanda was not considering sending another candidate.
He said that after a long wait for Vincent Karega's acceptance, Belgian authorities asked Rwanda to replace him with someone else.
President Kagame further explained that Rwanda later understood that Belgium's decision was influenced by pressure from the Congolese government rather than any other reason and emphasized the importance of receiving clear explanations in such situations.
IGIHE
