Minister of Foreign Affairs Vincent Biruta is in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, to represent President Paul Kagame at the 24th Ordinary Session of Economic Community of Central African States(ECCAS) Conference of Heads of State and Government.
The 24th ordinary session of ECCAS kicked off in Malabo. It aims to discuss and make decisions on issues of common interest for the member countries of the community. Topics on the agenda include the security situation in the region, regional integration and international relations.
At the end of this meeting, Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo will assume the rotating presidency of ECCAS for the next two years, succeeding Gabonese President Ali Bongo.
Rwanda formally rejoined ECCAS in May 2015, eight years after pulling out of the bloc, citing the need to move to the East African Community (EAC). Upon rejoining ECCAS, President Paul Kagame said that it is even better for the country to be a member of different regional blocs where it can benefit economically, politically and diplomatically in many ways.
ECCAS is made up of eleven Member States: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe and Chad. (Fin)