Kagame made the revelation as he officiated the swearing-in ceremony of recently appointed leaders including the Minister of Infrastructure, Dr. Erneste Nsanzimana and the State Minister in the same ministry, Patricia Uwase. <\/p>\n
\u201cStarting with Burundi, our leaders have been meeting with Burundian counterparts. Recently, the President of Burundi sent envoys with a message, all aimed at continuing to improve the relations between our two countries. There is good progress that we are happy about,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs we move forward, our bilateral relationship will continue to improve. Burundians and Rwandans will be living together as it used to be and should be. What used to be a security issue at the border in Kibira and Nyungwe , people who cross to attack Rwanda and then disappear in Kibira; we are working with Burundi and are coming to an understanding to address this issue permanently,\u201d Kagame added. <\/p>\n
The Head of State further stated that those behind the issue will face even worse consequences. <\/p>\n
On relations with Uganda, Kagame said that there are issues that triggered the closure of Gatuna border highlighting that his discussions with the envoy of President Museveni, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba left both countries reaching consensus on the way forward. <\/p>\n
\u201cRwanda closed the border. But there was a reason for closing it. People did not wake up one morning and decide the close the border. The problem has always been that the border cannot be reopened unless the root causes that led to this closure are resolved. he said. Recently, Uganda sent envoys. But there were other who used to come and it used to be arguments with no conclusions. The envoy from Uganda brought a message and in our conversation, we agreed that there is something we can all do,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI maintained that opening the border would be good but opening the border without addressing the reason it was closed would be wrong and would not work. We agreed that reasons for the closure will be resolved. <\/p>\n
The border has been reopened; Uganda has been taking steps to resolve the issues that led to the border\u2019s closure. We are following it up closely, we are discussing it with them and I believe we are on a good path,\u201d Kagame added. <\/p>\n
Among cited reasons that led to the border\u2019s closure, Kagame pointed arrests of Rwandans who were accused of being spies. He explained that it would be weird to conduct espionage using people all age groups including young people, middle-aged people and others in their advanced ages. <\/p>\n
On the other hand, Kagame said that Rwandans claiming to have issues with their country were welcomed while those fond of Rwanda were easy preys. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf you remember well, there are people who attacked Kinigi. The few remnant attackers [others were killed] crossed to Uganda where they were welcomed. They told us that the remnant assailants were imprisoned but we later heard that they returned to their hideouts in Congo. We discussed all these issues with Ugandan leaders,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
The Head of State further stated that enemies of Rwanda living inside or outside the country \u2018will end up in vain\u2019. <\/p>\n
He revealed that Gatuna border was reopened in adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures where health officials from both countries can agree on guidelines to prevent risks. <\/p>\n
Kagame also said that Rwanda wishes peace for the country and the country noting that the country remains standby to defend its sovereignty. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we hope for is peace in our country, in the region and for everyone. We do not wish insecurity and lack of peace on anyone. But for those who wish us war, we are ready to fight. We have professionals who are trained to do it and who do it well, whether here or elsewhere,\u201d he noted. <\/p>\n
The President disclosed that Rwanda\u2019s doctrine as a small country \u2018is to meet the threat where it is coming from. We do not allow it to come to us\u2019. <\/p>\n