President Paul Kagame met with his Benin counterpart, Patrice Guillame Talon, for discussions centered around existing cooperation between the two countries. The two heads of state met at the sidelines of the ongoing US-Africa leaders summit, underway in Washington DC. Rwanda and Benin enjoy fraternal bilateral relations. The two countries have previously collaborated on different areas including ICT, urban development, administration and air transport, among others. According to the Presidency, the two heads of state also discussed new areas of cooperation. “The two Heads of State discussed ongoing areas of collaboration including capacity building and economic partnership, and (also) committed to establish additional areas of cooperation.” Just last year, Dr Aissa Kirabo Kacyira presented her credentials to President Talon. Kacyira is Rwanda's Ambassador to Benin with residence in Accra, Ghana. At the time, President Talon described shared-relations as “familial”. The New Times understands that both heads of state also discussed cooperation in the area of defense.
