The Israeli embassy in Rwanda will open its doors in Kigali in April this year, the Ambassador of Israel to Rwanda with Residence in Ethiopia, Raphael Morav, has said. Morav said this during an interview in Kigali on Wednesday on the sidelines of an event to commemorate the lives of over six million Jews who were exterminated by Nazi Germany during World War II. The move fulfils Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s promise to the Rwandan government in 2017. Morav, said that there were plans to open the embassy early April to coincide with the 25th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. “We are about to open the Israeli embassy in Kigali, hopefully at the beginning of April so that the new resident ambassador is present for the 25th commemoration,” he said. Rwanda has an embassy in Tel Aviv. Morav also touched on the issue of anti-Semitism, which he said is spreading in Europe and the rest of the world, calling on all countries to enact laws to fight it. “Unfortunately, in Europe and US and other parts of the world, antisemitism has been revived over the last couple of years and that is a bad sign because we learn from history how things like that end. We call upon all the countries to enact laws that fight anti-Semitism,” he said. Relations In 2014, the two countries signed a partnership framework establishing a forum for consultations and boosting Rwanda’s foreign direct investments from Israeli businesses. Rwanda re-opened an embassy in Tel Aviv in 2015 to boost partnership and cooperation between the two states. During Netanyahu’s visit to Rwanda in 2016, the two countries signed three bilateral pacts. They include a declaration of intent on innovation, visa exemption for holders of diplomatic passports, and joint declaration in the field of agriculture. Following the visit, various Israel firms expressed interest in establishing a presence in Rwanda, with Motorola opening their regional office in Kigali. Last year, Israel backed Rwanda as it sought to amend the international designation of April 7 from the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda – as decided in a December 2003 resolution – to the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
