Rwanda and DRC officials hold 5th Joint Permanent Commission
Rwanda  and  DRC  officials  this Saturday reaffirmed  their  commitment  to  economic and  security  collaboration  during  the  5th  Joint  Permanent  Commission  (JPC)  held  in  Kigali  today.
A delegation  of  five  DRC  ministers  led  by  the  Minister of Foreign  Affairs,  senior  officials  and  their Rwandan  counterparts  discussed  the  joint  energy  projects;  air  travel  agreements;  as  well  as  current  security  and  humanitarian  situation  affecting  both  countries. Rwanda’s  Minister  of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo said;Â
“We  have  had  productive  working  Joint  Permanent  Commission  following  the  last  one  held  in Kinshasa  in  December  2009.  We  discussed  collaboration  in  methane  extraction  from  Lake  Kivu  and  hydropower  from  the  Rusizi  in  order  to  boost  generation  of  much-Ââ€needed  energy  in  our region.  We  agreed  to  enhance  collaboration  in  air  travel,  particularly  with  our  national  carrier  Rwanda air  poised  to  begin  flights  to  the  DRC.  We  also  continue  to  engage  on  cooperation  to  eliminate  the  threat  of  any  armed  groups  that  might  be  operating  from  either  of  our  respective  territories,  particularly  the  FDLR  in  Eastern  DRC.  The  Ministers  commended  both  countries’  Defense  and  Security  organs  for  their  excellent  collaboration  and  determination  to  present  any  negative  developmentâ€
She  added  “ The  welfare  of  Congolese refugees  who  have  sought  safety  in  Rwanda  is  also  a  priority  that  both  our  governments  take  seriously.†Â
Today’s  JPC  is  the  second  since  the  forum  was  revived  following  a  21-Ââ€year  hiatus,  following  the  historic  meeting  of  President  Paul  Kagame  and  President  Joseph  Kabila  at  the  Goma  Summit  held  by  in  August 2009.  Present  at  the  meeting  were  Rwanda’s  Ministers  of  Defense, Infrastructure,  Disaster  Management  and  Refugees.  The  Ministers  of  Foreign  Affairs,  Internal  Security,  Justice  and  Energy  represented  the  DRC.
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