Rwandan envoy to Sweden and the Nordic countries, Dr. Diane Gashumba on Friday, January 21 presented her credentials to the Danish Queen Margrethe II as the non-resident Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the Kingdom of Denmark. During their discussions, Gashumba conveyed the greetings of president Paul Kagame and provided the queen with an overview of Rwanda’s development progress, and its consistent dedication to improve the lives of Rwandan citizens. She elaborated on the government of Rwanda’s people-centered politics and progressive vision that has been acting as the catalyst for the steadily transforming and growing economy, peace and security. Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II also commended Rwanda’s journey of recovery after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. High on the agenda were the discussions on Rwanda’s robust response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including the effective strategies for prevention and containment of the Covid-19 pandemic and the good progress in vaccinations. By the end of 2021, Rwanda had met the World Health Organization’s end year target of over 40 percent Covid-19 vaccination coverage and is on track to reach the target of 70 percent inoculation by mid-2022. During the meeting, Gashumba also informed Her Majesty, the Queen that Rwanda was keen on building existing bilateral cooperation and good relations between Denmark and Rwanda to strengthen trade, investment and tourism between the two countries. She commended Denmark’s well developed social services and the strong economy based on service industries, trade and manufacturing. She further commended Denmark for its support in bringing justice to those who had participated in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and later fled to Denmark. So far, two fugitives residing in Denmark have been extradited. While in Copenhagen, the Ambassador also held a high-level meeting with Lotte Machon, State Secretary for Development Policy within the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Rwanda and Denmark’s bilateral relations are on a good trend after a ministerial-level delegation from Denmark, followed by a business delegation, traveled to Rwanda to deepen consultations on bilateral, international, and regional issues of common interest, and exchange on investment and trade opportunities between the two countries last year. The Embassy is also looking to facilitate a delegation of Danish business leaders to Rwanda later this year. The Rwandan Embassy to the Nordic countries is located in Stockholm and accredited to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland. Prior to her posting in Stockholm, Ambassador Dr. Diane Gashumba served as Rwanda’s Minister of Health and Minister of Gender and Family Promotion.
