Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the opening of a new Israeli embassy in Rwanda while on a visit to Nairobi Kenya Haaretz reported on Tuesday.
According to Haaretz the Israeli government recently made a deal with Rwanda to pay $5000 for each African asylum seeker currently living in Israel that it would accept and absorb.
Netanyahu met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame prior to the announcement.
“We are opening a new embassy in Kigali the capital of Rwanda as part of the expanding Israeli presence in Africa and the deepening of cooperation between Israel and African countries” the Israeli premier said.
The officials also spoke about the possibility of a direct flight route between them.
Netanyahu flew to Nairobi to congratulate the newly reelected Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta and to meet with other African leaders who attended the inauguration event.
Upon his departure from Tel Aviv Netanyahu said that he hoped “that by the end of the day I will be able to announce the opening of a new Israeli embassy in an African country and the hand is still extended.”
Rwandan Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said last week that as part of the deal with Israel Rwanda is ready to accept around 10000 asylum seekers who are now living in Israel.
Netanyahu landed in Nairobi a few hours after Kenya’s reelected President Uhuru Kenyatta was inaugurated. Kenyatta personally received Netanyahu at the president’s residence and invited the Israeli prime minister to sit next to him at a luncheon that followed the inauguration.
The Israeli premier had scheduled a marathon series of afternoon meetings Tuesday with African delegations that attended the inaugural events including the presidents of Gabon Uganda Tanzania Zambia Rwanda South Sudan Botswana and Namibia as well as the prime minister of Ethiopia.
