Rwanda–Turkey relations

Rwanda–Turkey relations are the foreign relations between Rwanda and Turkey. Turkey has an embassy in Kigali since December 2014. Rwanda's embassy in Ankara opened in August 2013.

Diplomatic relations
Rwanda and Turkey have friendly relations. A colony of Belgium but in France’s sphere of influence following independence, Rwanda is a Central African nation whose Hutu Power government tried to exterminate its Tutsi population beginning in April 1994. During the genocide, after losing 10 soldiers, Belgium immediately withdrew from Rwanda and called on the UN to remove the peacekeeping mission that was there at the time. Turkey, arguing that the peacekeeping mission was now more relevant to Rwandan safety than ever, cooperated with UN Ambassador Madeleine Albright to convince the UN to allow 270 soldiers to remain in Rwanda.

Turkey did not have the national resources to intervene without U.S. participation in Rwanda. However Bill Clinton, the U.S. president at the time, refused to intervene because the U.S. public and Congress opposed intervention and PDD-25 severely circumscribed U.S. participation in international peacekeeping missions.

Following the end of Rwandan genocide, Turkey and United States began to provide foreign aid and investment to Rwandan government, with Turkey providing 13% of all foreign aid to further the Rwandan goal of becoming the Singapore of Africa.

Economic relations

 * Trade volume between the two countries was US$32.4 million in 2018 (Turkish exports/imports: 32.2/0.2 million USD).
 * Turkish investment accounts for 15% of all FDI to Rwanda.