Tanzania, Rwanda foster bilateral ties

Tanzania and Rwanda on Tuesday, August 2, signed MoUs in the fields of ICT, Immigration, Education and the regulation of medical products in a fresh bid to foster bilateral relations, as President Samia Suluhu Hassan visited Rwanda.

In Kigali, the Tanzanian leader held discussions with her host, Paul Kagame, centred on strengthening bilateral economic ties. President Kagame said that Rwanda and Tanzania share more than just a border, and strong historical ties and common aspiration to deliver prosperity to "our people: have always been central to the two nation's cooperation. Going forward, President Hassan said, they want to build on the historic ties to go beyond current areas of cooperation.  “We have made a commitment to cementing the existing historic ties," she said.

Kagame said: "With the signing of these agreements, we are committed to ensuring that this visit leads to tangible results and gives renewed momentum to our bilateral relationship."President Hassan was in Rwanda for a two day State visit.  She said: "Tanzania and Rwanda are in business and investment and have good relations. But there are still many opportunities we can use to promote trade and investment for the benefit of both countries.”

On day one, the two leaders held a tête-à-tête followed by bilateral talks. They jointly briefly addressed the press and then presided over the signing of the four bilateral agreements before President Kagame hosted his guest and her delegation to a State banquet. Among others, the two countries are jointly working on key infrastructure and investment projects of mutual benefits, particularly the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line linking Dar es Salaam to Kigali, milk production and improved port logistics.

The two leaders also reiterated their commitment to back a stronger and prosperous East African Community (EAC) - a six-member regional economic bloc in which their two countries belong - as well as economic recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic. "Rwanda stands ready to work closely to work with our brothers and sisters in Tanzania in the context of the East African Community and beyond to speed up our countries' and region's recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic," Kagame said.

"The challenges that our region faces can only be addressed by unwavering solidarity and seizing opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships. I look forward to a stronger, prosperous East African Community,” he said. With more than 80 percent of Rwanda's imports and exports going through the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam, the two countries are important trading partners.

And there is a historical relationship between the two neighbours that implies they both benefit from maintaining goodwill and political understanding between their leaders and citizens.  Relations between Rwanda and Tanzania soured in 2013 during the reign of then Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete.

But, later, during the reign of Kikwete's successor, late President John Pombe Magufuli, who passed on earlier this year, the two countries managed to mend ties for the good of their citizens. Relations earlier hit a snag after Kikwete, among others, on the sidelines of the AU summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, advised the government of Rwanda to hold peace talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo-based FDLR terrorist group. The latter group comprises remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

Analysts, at the time, noted how Kikwete's unfortunate public statement had been not only undiplomatic but also unnecessary. With Magufuli, and now Suluhu, a new and better chapter has been continuously opened, and there have been ample signs of goodwill and assurances from both sides.