Switzerland is planning to open an embassy Kigali in a bid to boost its diplomatic relations with Rwanda, The New Times has learnt. A delegation from the European country’s foreign ministry has been in Rwanda for a visit that explored areas of cooperation. A source privy to the matter said the embassy is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2025. ALSO READ: Kagame in Switzerland for Effective Development Co-operation Summit Switzerland will open a fully-fledged embassy, upgrading from a Regional Cooperation Office for the Great Lakes Region that has been active for decades. The European country, whose diplomatic relations with Rwanda began in the early 1960s, had an embassy in Kigali between 1970 and 1985, before shifting to Nairobi. The source added that Switzerland has officially announced its intention to open the embassy. Rwanda & Switzerland just held their first-ever Bilateral Political Consultations in Kigali! Co-chaired by PS @MukekaClem & Amb. Philipp Stalder from the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, this milestone paves the way for deeper cooperation in education, health,... pic.twitter.com/2988njEOD9 — Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Int'l Cooperation (@RwandaMFA) June 3, 2025 The Rwandan and Swiss government held their first bilateral political consultations on Tuesday, June 3. The Swiss delegation led by Amb. Phillip Stalder, Head of Africa and Francophonie Division at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, held official meetings with various officials, including the Minister of State in charge of Regional Cooperation, Gen (Rtd) James Kabarebe. Kabarebe and Stalder discussed various areas of cooperation, including TVET education, healthcare, and climate change as well as affordable housing, the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. Other areas include urbanisation and alternative dispute resolution in the justice sector. ALSO READ: Rwandan embassy in Geneva conducts education programme on 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi In an exclusive interview with The New Times on Tuesday, Amb. Stalder said Rwanda is “a priority” in Switzerland’s development programme. “Since the early days of Rwanda’s independence, we have been present with development cooperation activities. That's the main pillar of our collaboration and we want to go further,” said the diplomat. “Rwanda is a priority for our development cooperation and will remain so for the years to come.” ALSO READ: Kagame attends World Economic Forum in Davos As President Paul Kagame has visited Switzerland on various occasions, mostly to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Stalder said high-level engagements with Swiss leaders, including ministerial meetings, have cemented the two countries cooperation. “Our two ministers of foreign affairs have met twice within the last 10 months, once in New York and the last time in Geneva. That's definitely helping to boost relations,” he said. Stalder said the Rwanda-Switzerland cooperation will be guided by the Swiss government’s Africa Strategy 2025-2028, which seeks to promote peace, security and development in the region. The current Swiss Ambassador to Rwanda with residence in Nairobi is Mirko Giulietti who presented his letters of credence to President Kagame in November 2024. Rwanda has an embassy in Geneva, with Urujeni Bakuramutsa as the ambassador who also has credentials to Austria, Slovenia, the Vatican, Liechtenstein and the UN offices in Geneva and Vienna.
