British military college students visit MINAFFET

A group of students from the United Kingdom’s Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS), an internationally-renowned institution and component of the United Kingdom’s National Defence Academy, are here on a study tour. The thirteen-man delegation comprising members from the UK, Bahrain, Israel and Canada, among others, visited and held discussions with Rosemary Museminali, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MINAFFET) and other ministry officials Tuesday afternoon. At their request and shortly before they held a closed-door meeting, the minister briefed them on the security issues of the country and the region as a whole and Rwanda’s efforts towards stability in the region, among others. Museminali talked at length about the country’s foreign policy pillars – entrenching peace in the region and contributing to peace in the whole world plus economic advancement. “The second pillar is economic advancement or wealth creation for our nation based on cooperation with other nations,” she said. She explained how far the country has come since the 1994 Genocide, and the essence of joining regional groupings for improved security and development, despite difficulties. “Over time, we carried out a cost and benefit analysis. And we decided to pull out of some,” she said, further emphasizing that economic advancement is strengthened by security and hence the significance of working with the regional blocs. She underlined that opening Rwanda to all those who want to cooperate with it was critical in addition to attracting trade and investment, which the country has emphasized. “We have also been dealing with a negative perception as far as our country’s history is concerned,” she added, saying that now, slowly, Rwanda is being known for its many positives. Sir Brian Donnelly, the team’s head, pointed out that they were in the country and the region essentially to gain firsthand knowledge of the problems on the ground and learn about the region. With members from different countries and backgrounds, he said that they were bringing varying perspectives and that they would concentrate on subjects of general interest. “We have visited Ethiopia and Kenya before coming here and we are visiting South Africa from here,” he said, adding that they were conducting “a reality check” to see for themselves the problems on the ground. “Many of my colleagues will return to their countries and jobs with a much better understanding of problems in Africa,” Sir Donnelly explained the group’s expectations. He stressed that they were not primarily interested in security issues alone, but would also look into “the wider social and economic issues that will contribute” to security and development. These, he said, include issues of regional stability and how Rwanda’s foreign policy is helping to minimise problems, the country’s role in the East African Community and its aspirations for the Commonwealth. “We are also conscious of the role of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and how Rwanda sees its relationship with the tribunal,” Sir Donnelly said, shortly before Museminali’s initial responses and before their closed-door meeting resumed. Ends