Bilateral relations between Rwanda and Turkey have grown fast, over the last seven years since Rwanda opened her Embassy in Ankara in 2013 that was followed by Turkey opening her Embassy in Kigali in 2014. A permanent political dialogue is maintained through diplomatic representations in both Capitals; exchanges of high-level and technical visits as well as through business missions. Since 2011, several high-level visits have been undertaken.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hon. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu visited Rwanda on 30-31 May 2016 and three Agreements/MOUs were signed during this visit. Minister of Trade and Industry of Rwanda attended to the “Turkey-Africa Economy and Business Forum” in Istanbul on 2-3 November 2016.
Prime Minister of Rwanda Rt.Hon. Edouard Ngirente attended to the “Second Turkey-Africa Economy and Business Forum” on 10-11 October 2018 in Istanbul. Hon. Dr. Richard Sezibera, Rwanda’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, paid a visit to Turkey on 23-25 June 2019. This visit was the first official visit from Rwanda to Turkey at the level of foreign ministers.
The Government of the Republic of Rwanda and Government of the Republic of Turkey have so signed 18 Bilateral Agreements and MoUs in different sectors and many of them have entered into implementation stage.
Bilateral trade volume between Rwanda and Turkey was approximately 21 Million U.S Dollars in 2018. In 2019 trade volume between the two countries increased to 32,4 Million U.S Dollars while in 2020, the trade volume increased to about 78.4 Million U.S Dollars. (Rwanda imports from Turkey: 24.3 Million U.S Dollars, Rwanda exports to Turkey: 54.1 Million U.S Dollars.)