{"id":2000130821,"date":"2026-10-30T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000130821"},"modified":"2026-10-30T16:13:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T14:13:26","slug":"turkiye-hails-growing-ties-with-rwanda-backs-formula-1-return-to-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/turkiye-hails-growing-ties-with-rwanda-backs-formula-1-return-to-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"T\u00fcrkiye hails growing ties with Rwanda, backs Formula 1 return to Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ambassador Aslan Alper Y\u00fcksel made the remarks on October 29, 2026, during a reception at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Kigali, marking the 103rd anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of T\u00fcrkiye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Republic Day, celebrated annually on October 29, commemorates the proclamation of the Turkish Republic in 1923 under Mustafa Kemal Atat\u00fcrk, who became its first president. The occasion marks T\u00fcrkiye’s transition to a republican system of government and honours the founding principles of the modern state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Y\u00fcksel praised Rwanda’s development ambitions and commitment to progress, saying the country held a special place in T\u00fcrkiye’s engagement with Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaving served in Kigali for more than three years now, let me emphasise that I am very much impressed by Rwanda’s forward-looking vision and commitment to further progress,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI congratulate the relevant Rwandan authorities on bringing Formula One back to Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda is preparing to host the Formula 1 African Grand Prix in Bugesera in the early 2030s under a 10-year agreement announced earlier this month, marking the return of Formula 1 to Africa after more than three decades since the last race on the continent, held in South Africa in 1993.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ambassador Y\u00fcksel praised Rwanda’s development ambitions and commitment to progress.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cooperation extends to security and diplomacy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Y\u00fcksel said relations between the two countries had strengthened through commercial ties, defence and security cooperation, political consultations, education and institutional capacity building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He highlighted development projects supported by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, cultural activities organised by the Yunus Emre Institute, and capacity-building initiatives involving Turkish institutions, including the Turkish National Police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also cited Turkish Airlines’ daily direct flights between Kigali and Istanbul and recent engagement between the two countries’ space agencies as examples of expanding cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Y\u00fcksel said exchanges between the two presidents reflected the strength of bilateral relations and their shared interest in peace and stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He reaffirmed T\u00fcrkiye’s commitment to promoting peace, security and stability through dialogue and responsible diplomacy, citing the principle of \u201cpeace at home, peace in the world\u201d, associated with Atat\u00fcrk, as a continuing guide for Turkish foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda welcomes growing Turkish investment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the same event, Rwanda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Usta Kaitesi, said more than 25 Turkish companies had invested in Rwanda, particularly in construction, energy and infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She encouraged further investment and trade between the two countries, emphasising the need for partnerships that create jobs, develop skills and facilitate knowledge transfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Usta Kaitesi, said more than 25 Turkish companies had invested in Rwanda<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kaitesi said President Paul Kagame’s visit to T\u00fcrkiye in January 2025 had given fresh momentum to bilateral relations. The two countries signed four cooperation agreements during the visit, covering defence industries, media and communication, and civil aviation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also highlighted the second round of Rwanda-T\u00fcrkiye political consultations, hosted by T\u00fcrkiye in 2026, as an opportunity to review progress and identify new areas of cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond investment, the minister pointed to direct flights between Kigali and Istanbul as an important link for business, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also welcomed T\u00fcrkiye’s scholarship programmes for Rwandan students pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate studies, saying they helped develop skills and strengthen ties between the two countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda sees further opportunities to expand cooperation in agriculture, mining, information and communication technology, and renewable energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both officials expressed confidence that continued engagement would strengthen the partnership and create further opportunities for their countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The event brought together Rwandan and Turkish officials, diplomats, representatives of international organisations and members of the Turkish community in Rwanda to celebrate the 103rd anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of T\u00fcrkiye.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Republic Day, celebrated annually on October 29, commemorates the proclamation of the Turkish Republic in 1923 under Mustafa Kemal Atat\u00fcrk, who became its first president.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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T\u00fcrkiye has welcomed growing ties with Rwanda across trade, investment, education and security, with its ambassador in Kigali congratulating the country on its efforts to bring Formula 1 back to Africa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000130822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"archived_slugs":[],"footnotes":"","igh_game_id":0},"categories":[6],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000130821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":2000122456,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-11.58.47-AM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 11.58.47 AM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":131,"twitter_handle":""}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":2000122456,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-11.58.47-AM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 11.58.47 AM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":131,"twitter_handle":""}],"featured_image":{"id":2000130822,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/HV03dQtXUAAR-ul-scaled.jpeg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":2560,"height":1911,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/HV03dQtXUAAR-ul-150x150.jpeg","width":150,"height":150},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/HV03dQtXUAAR-ul-300x224.jpeg","width":300,"height":224},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/HV03dQtXUAAR-ul-768x573.jpeg","width":768,"height":573},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/HV03dQtXUAAR-ul-1024x764.jpeg","width":1024,"height":764},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/HV03dQtXUAAR-ul-scaled.jpeg","width":2560,"height":1911}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000130821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000130821"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000130821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000130836,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000130821\/revisions\/2000130836"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000130822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000130821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000130821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000130821"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000130821"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000130821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}