Ms. Olivia Charlotte Owen, High Commissioner of New Zealand to Rwanda walks through the guard of honour prior to her meeting with President Paul Kagame.
KIGALI – President Paul Kagame on Wednesday received letters of credence from two newly appointed diplomats, marking another step in Rwanda’s expanding engagement with partners across the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.
At Urugwiro Village, Kagame welcomed Ms. Nasra Bint Salim Bin Mohammed Al-Hashmi, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to Rwanda, and Ms. Olivia Charlotte Owen, High Commissioner of New Zealand to Rwanda.
While the presentation of credentials is a formal diplomatic procedure that authorizes ambassadors to officially represent their countries, Wednesday’s ceremony comes at a time when Rwanda’s bilateral relations with both nations are evolving beyond traditional diplomacy.
The appointment of Oman’s new ambassador is particularly significant as Kigali and Muscat have accelerated their partnership over the past year through a series of high-level engagements and practical agreements.
In January 2026, Rwanda and Oman signed four cooperation agreements covering logistics and dry ports, aviation, airport infrastructure development, and information and communication technology (ICT) and innovation.
The agreements reflected a shared ambition to strengthen economic ties while creating new opportunities in trade, investment and connectivity. That momentum has already begun producing tangible results.
President Kagame welcomed Ms. Nasra Bint Salim Bin Mohammed Al-Hashmi, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to Rwanda.
Earlier this month, SalamAir launched direct flights between Muscat and Kigali, becoming the first airline to establish a direct air link between the two countries.
Operating twice a week, the service is expected to facilitate tourism, business travel, cargo movement and people-to-people exchanges while positioning both countries as gateways to their respective regions.
In January, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe, visited Muscat, where he met his Omani counterpart to discuss ways of implementing the growing bilateral agenda.
Wednesday’s accreditation of Ambassador Al-Hashmi is expected to further strengthen that momentum as both countries seek to translate diplomatic goodwill into concrete economic partnerships.
Meanwhile, the appointment of New Zealand’s High Commissioner to Rwanda, comes as the two Commonwealth countries continue to nurture a cordial relationship established in 2012.
Although engagement between Kigali and Wellington has been more modest, both countries have maintained regular diplomatic contacts through their respective non-resident missions, with Rwanda represented from Singapore and New Zealand from Addis Ababa.
One of the most notable recent engagements took place during the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, when President Paul Kagame held bilateral talks with New Zealand’s then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nanaia Mahuta.
The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation and expanding areas of mutual interest.
The accreditation of the two envoys reflects Rwanda’s continued efforts to broaden its international partnerships while building relationships that support its development priorities through increased trade, investment, innovation and political cooperation.
As Rwanda continues to strengthen ties with partners across different regions of the world, diplomatic engagements increasingly serve not only as symbols of friendship but also as foundations for deeper economic and strategic collaboration.
