Rwandan President Paul Kagame and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on Tuesday in the Swiss city of Davos on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum with their discussions centering on how to advance efforts to ease tensions in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A statement by the Spokesperson for the US Department of State, Matthew Miller, said Mr. Blinken reiterated the need for all actors to take concrete steps to resolve the situation.
In their comments before the meeting, Mr. Blinken said the US was committed to doing everything it could to support the efforts that were being made – including by Angola, by Kenya – to support peaceful resolution of differences and avoid conflict in eastern DR Congo.
“Very much appreciate the work that’s been done, especially over the last couple of months, and your leadership in trying to find a positive, peaceful way forward,” he said.
Mr Kagame said he appreciated the efforts United States had put into paying attention and supporting the resolution to the problems in the region.
“So I’m looking forward to our discussion to see how we can take the further steps and continue more efforts to bring conclusion to the conflict,” the President said.
Tension has been rising between Rwanda and DR Congo over the activities of rebels along their common border.
DR Congo has accused Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels, but Kigali has repeatedly denied the accusation.
