Pledge to improve relations with Uganda

Rwandan President Paul Kagame held talks with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni on Friday during which they agreed to strengthen and improve relations between the two countries. A joint communique described the meeting - held in the Rwandan border town of Gatunda - as warm and friendly. The two leaders agreed to establish a “close working relationship” on international issues to “harmonise their positions”, particularly for regional peace and stability. Kagame accepted an invitation to pay a return visit to Uganda, the communique said. Addressing a news conference after the talks, Kagame said there was “hope for improvement” in bilateral relations, which suffered greatly after the two countries’ armies clashed repeatedly in the Congolese city of Kisangani last year. Earlier this year, Uganda put Rwanda on its list of “hostile nations”, but Museveni told the news conference the issue had been “resolved”. “Since I have come here and met President Kagame and had discussions which are summarised in the communiqué...that matter is finished,” he added, according to a report from Rwanda’s presidential press office. Museveni said the issue of the two countries’ exiles on each other’s territory was widely discussed between the two leaders. “We have discussed that matter in great detail and there are very easy ways to handle that,” Museveni said. “As is the normal practice, those people cannot be returned to their countries of origin, but they should also not use the neighbouring country to cause problems for their countries. That is how I would expect Rwanda to handle these people, and Rwanda, I am sure, would expect Uganda to handle the Rwandese who pass through Uganda in the same way.”