Rwanda’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Johnston Busingye presented his credentials to the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II on Friday, April 29.
The Queen received him and his wife via video call from Windsor castle.
Busingye is a former Minister for Justice who was appointed to the position last year, replacing Yamina Karitanyi who is the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board (RMB).
In the presence of different diplomatic corps, the Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps, friends of Rwanda and Rwandan Community Leaders, Busingye in his remarks reaffirmed how invaluable Rwanda considers its strong relationship and partnership with the United Kingdom.
Vin D'Honneur Reception 2 with Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps
He pledged to work tirelessly during his tour of duty to ensure that the solid collaboration between the two countries continues to grow.
He shared that the particular interest in his conversation with the queen was the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government summit, CHOGM, which will be held in Kigali, in June.
The theme for the summit is "Delivering a common future: connecting, innovating and transforming.” Our aim for CHOGM is to bring energy and focus in responding to the needs of the 2.5 billion citizens of the Commonwealth, he said.
Busingye made a call to the Commonwealth to become a powerful voice in advocating for countries’ needs, particularly as they focus on re-starting economies in the wake of the pandemic.
"The recent crises have shown our commonality as a Commonwealth and the pressing need for increased cooperation and coordination,” he continued.
The summit, and associated -Youth, Women, Business and Peoples forums, as well as a side event on Malaria & NTD’s will give member states a unique platform to share best practices, learn from each other’s successes and failures and exchange knowledge for greater impact, he said.
The United Kingdom was one of the first few bilateral development partners to cooperate with Rwanda after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, despite the UK having had no significant historic ties with the country.
The two countries recently signed a partnership to address the global migration crisis.
"The Rwanda-UK Migration and Economic Development Partnership will prioritize the dignity and safety of migrants, whilst also investing in Rwanda’s economic development – creating professional and personal development opportunities for migrants and Rwandans alike,” he noted.
The newly appointed High Commissioner suggested a review of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention which, according to him, no longer serves current migration, "where migrant trafficking seems to have taken over.”
"There have been misinterpretations, misconceptions, outright stereotypes and prejudice about the arrangement and about Rwanda,” he continued, "Rwanda’s story since 1994 is a story of humanitarian intervention, peace keeping, peace support and the rescue of people in peril, universal health, and universal education.”
Therefore, partnering with the UK and any other country that might be interested to address a global issue involving human beings in need is neither new nor difficult for Rwanda to relate with, he noted.