Dear Rwandan friends and our fellow citizens,

Upon conclusion of my assignment as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Türkiye to the Republic of Rwanda, I am leaving Kigali as of 17 January 2023.

It was a unique experience for me to learn and explore Africa through Rwanda. I feel privileged to witness the remarkable transformation and the commendable progress that this beautiful country has achieved so far thanks to its visionary leadership and the hard work of its people. It was also a real pleasure for me to contribute to the rapidly flourishing bilateral cooperation and collaboration between Türkiye and Rwanda in a wide range of areas. Despite the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic of two years, more than fivefold increase in our bilateral trade volume within four years is a clear indication of potential for future. I am glad that our existing cooperation in construction, energy, infrastructure and manufacturing areas is getting closer also in tourism, education and cultural areas. I am confident that the steps we have taken for ensuring people-to-people contacts between our nations through education, language and cultural exchanges will further strengthen the ties between our countries. As in the case of on-going capacity building trainings in security, defence and diplomacy, I trust that our contributions to Rwanda’s efforts for enhancing its human resources capacity will continue in the future with new projects. I sincerely wish that our friendship ties would always be preserved.I am taking with me many unforgettable and heart-warming memories.

While bidding farewell, I would like to express my gratitude to the Rwandan authorities for their support and friendship, and my sincere appreciation for our fellow citizens, graduates of Turkish universities and the Rwandan friends for their warm interactions with our Embassy and myself throughout my tenure. The door of our Embassy has always been open to all. We did our best to stand together with our citizens and friends of Türkiye in all occasions. Finally, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to my excellent team members in the Embassy for their relentless efforts and good work all the time.

Taking this opportunity, I wish you and your families continued success, health and happiness for future.

Burcu ÇEVİK

Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiyeto the Republic of Rwanda