Foreign minister in Pakistan to promote cooperation

Rwandan Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation Andre Bumaya, accompanied by a high-level delegation, arrived in Islamabad on Monday morning for a three-day mission to strengthen ties with Pakistan in the areas of human resource development, trade, agriculture and investment, the Financial Times newspaper reported Tuesday. Upon his arrival in Pakistan for what was the first visit ever made by a Rwandan foreign minister, Bumaya said that Rwanda occupied a central position in Africa, and that by virtue of its membership in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) as well as the privileges accorded it under the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) of the USA, Rwanda could offer Pakistan a good opportunity to increase trade with Africa and America. Pakistani Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar expressed his country’s readiness to extend full cooperation to Rwanda, and noted Pakistan’s close relations with African countries and its contribution to UN peacekeeping forces, most of which were deployed in Africa. Sattar also briefed the Rwandan delegation on the economic policies of the present government and its achievements during the past 23 months. He also spoke of the Kashmir dispute and the situation in Afghanistan. Buyoya was scheduled to meet on Tuesday morning with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, the army general who seized power in 1999, followed by meetings with the ministers of finance, education and commerce.