The visit to the country was confirmed by Foreign Affairs Minister Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe and the office of Latvia's President, Edgars Rinkēvičs, on Monday, September 30, 2024.
Nduhungirehe described the visit as historic as it marks the first official visit by a Rwandan president to the Baltic States, which comprise Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. It is also the first official visit by an African president to Latvia.
During the visit, President Kagame will meet with Latvia's highest-ranking officials, including President Edgars Rinkēvičs, Speaker of the Saeima (the Parliament of the Republic of Latvia), Daiga Mieriņa, and Prime Minister Evika Siliņa.
Additionally, during President Kagame's visit, a memorial plaque dedicated to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda will be unveiled at the Latvian National Library on Wednesday, October 2, 2024.
Talks between Presidents Kagame and Rinkēvičs will focus on bilateral relations between Rwanda and Latvia, current security challenges in Africa and Europe, and cooperation within international organizations.
The two heads of state last met at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2023. At that meeting, they discussed Rwanda's regional engagements in Africa, particularly in peace efforts in Mozambique and the Central African Republic, as well as its involvement in UN peacekeeping missions.
President Rinkēvičs expressed Latvia's appreciation for Rwanda's firm stance on protecting international law and voiced interest in educational cooperation.
Latvia, located in northeastern Europe, is one of the smaller countries on the continent, covering an area of 64,589 square kilometers. It shares borders with Lithuania to the south and Estonia to the north and has a population of approximately 1.88 million people.
The country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 after decades of occupation. Latvia's landscape features rolling hills, dense forests, and sandy beaches along the Baltic Sea coast.
Riga, the capital and largest city of Latvia, is renowned for its stunning architecture, which includes Art Nouveau buildings and medieval churches. The official language, Latvian, is a Baltic language with ancient roots.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/president-kagame-to-make-historic-visit-to-latvia
