Union Cabinet approved signing of Air Services Agreement between India and Rwanda

The Union Cabinet approved the signing of a bilateral Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Rwanda.

The approval was given at a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 February 2017.

Benefits of India-Rwanda Air Services Agreement

• The agreement has the potential to spur trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchange between India and Rwanda.

• It will also provide enabling environment for enhanced and seamless connectivity between both the countries.

• The ASA seeks to provide commercial opportunities for the carriers belonging to both the countries.

India-Rwanda Bilateral Relations

• Rwanda is a sovereign State in the East African Region. It is also one of the smallest countries on the African mainland.

• Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

• India-Rwanda relations are marked by cordiality, convergence of views and cooperation on major international issues.

• In recent years, the relations are marked by an increasing trend in bilateral trade and investments, greater people to people contact and a deep sense of mutual respect.

• India is among the few countries in the world which voiced their concerns to alert the world about the possibility of genocide, as early as 1992.

• During the genocide of 1994, India contributed immensely to the United Nations Peace Keeping Force.

• India’s engagement with Rwanda is at three levels viz. at the African Union (AU) level, at the level of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and at the bilateral level.

• Indian assistance to Rwanda has mainly guided by the announcements made by India at the India-Africa Forum Summits in 2008, 2011 and 2015.

• So far, India has extended million of dollars to Rwanda for building infrastructure projects.

• Under the Pan-African e-Network project, India has been providing tele-medicine and tele-education services to the citizens of Rwanda since 2009.