Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has pledged continued cooperation with Rwanda, particularly in the defence industry, following a telephone conversation with President Paul Kagame.
The two leaders discussed Rwanda–Türkiye relations and regional developments during the call on Thursday, August 27, according to Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications.
Erdoğan welcomed the progress recorded in trade and investment between the two countries and reaffirmed Türkiye’s intention to expand cooperation across several sectors.
“We will continue our cooperation in many areas, particularly the defense industry,” Erdoğan said.
No new defence agreement was announced during the call. The commitment reinforces an existing partnership covering defence, security, trade, investment, education, culture, energy, research and technology.
The presidents also discussed tensions between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Erdoğan welcomed efforts to reduce the tensions and praised what he described as the constructive approach adopted by both countries. He also expressed Türkiye’s support for the continuing process aimed at resolving their differences peacefully.
Relations between Rwanda and Türkiye strengthened following Rwanda’s opening of an embassy in Ankara in 2013 and Türkiye’s establishment of an embassy in Kigali in 2014.
Their economic partnership has expanded significantly since bilateral trade stood at approximately $1 million in the early 2000s. Turkish investment in Rwanda has since approached $500 million, particularly in construction, infrastructure and energy.
The latest commitment builds on four cooperation agreements signed during PresidentKagame’s official visit to Türkiye in January 2025.
The agreements covered cooperation between the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency and the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, media and communications, investigations into civil-aircraft accidents and serious incidents, and defence-industry cooperation between Rwanda’s Ministry of Defence and Türkiye’s Presidency of Defence Industries.
At the time, Kagame said the agreements demonstrated both countries’ determination to continue identifying new opportunities for cooperation. Erdoğa described the visit as another important step in strengthening bilateral relations.
RADIOTV10