Rwanda and Turkey are seeking ways to enhance parliamentary diplomacy, Turkish Ambassador to Rwanda Burcu Cevik said on Tuesday.
Burcu Cevik's statements came during a briefing to journalists after paying a courtesy visit to Rwandan Senate President Augustin Iyamuremye in Rwanda’s capital Kigali.
Cevik, who earlier on Monday had met speaker of Rwandan Lower Chamber of Parliament Donatille Mukabalisa, said the courtesy visit also served as an occasion to congratulate Iyamuremye on his election as Senate leader.
“We discussed how to improve our relationship between Rwanda and Turkey and see how we can enhance bilateral ties of the parliaments,” she said.
She also revealed that a delegation of Rwandan lawmakers will soon visit Turkey in a bid to enhance parliamentary cooperation.
Turkey opened its embassy in Rwanda in 2014.
The envoy said efforts to improve bilateral relations in various fields, including trade, investment, education, cultural as well as political exchanges have been spent over the years.
Stressing the need for mutual cooperation, Cevik said they had discussed with the senate leader how to work together to further expand cooperation.
Turkey considers Rwanda as a right partner in African policy and the country wants to have more high-level exchanges where the focus of partnerships lies in enhancing bilateral relations in every field, including education, culture, defense and security, she said.
Iyamuremye said he was impressed by current bilateral relations of Turkey and Rwanda.
“Our relations can be defined by actions. For instance, the Kigali Convention Center and the Kigali Arena were both built by a Turkish construction firm. We have a peat plant in Gisagara district which is also under construction by a Turkish company, not forgetting trade relations… all these are a testament that our relations are getting better and we are happy for the progress made so far,” he said.
We are looking at ways how both countries can enhance parliamentary cooperation by sharing experiences, he added.
