President Kagame on Wednesday, May 10, met with a delegation from Djibouti led by Mahmoudi Ali Youssouf, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who brought a message from President Ismail Omar Guelleh. They discussed the security situation in the Horn of Africa as well as the advancement of bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest with a focus on trade, the president’s office said. The meeting followed the first Joint Ministerial Commission meeting between Djibouti and Rwanda that took place earlier on Wednesday. ALSO READ: Rwanda, Djibouti sign new deals, eye deeper economic ties Earlier in the day, Djibouti’s foreign minister and his Rwandan counterpart, Dr Vincent Biruta presided over the signing of bilateral agreements on agriculture, tourism and diplomatic training. The development followed other agreements signed in 2017, during President Kagame’s state visit to Djibouti. According to the officials, cooperation between the two countries goes beyond the areas covered in the agreements. Djibouti offered Rwanda a 20-hectare piece of land at the port of Djibouti in 2013, which the latter plans to develop and operate as a strategic base for its imports and exports on the plot. In reciprocity, Djibouti was also offered a plot in the Special Economic Zone in Kigali.
