Rwanda and Armenia have signed an agreement waiving visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, service and special passports, in a move aimed at making official travel between the two countries easier.
The agreement was signed on Friday, September 25, by Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The deal allows eligible officials travelling on the covered passports to enter the two countries without having to obtain visas, under the terms of the agreement.
The signing was followed by discussions between the two ministers on bilateral cooperation and collaboration through international organisations, according to Armenia’s Foreign Ministry.
The agreement adds to Rwanda’s growing network of visa arrangements covering diplomatic and official passport holders. Rwanda has similar agreements with a number of countries, including India, Israel, Morocco, South Africa, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
For Rwanda and Armenia, the new arrangement is expected to make official visits and diplomatic engagements between the two countries easier by removing the need for visas for the categories of passport holders covered by the agreement.
The two countries have also been expanding contacts in recent years. Rwanda and Armenia share the experience of having endured genocide in their histories, while both are relatively small countries seeking to strengthen their international partnerships.
Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus, has a population of about 3 million and borders Türkiye, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran.
The visa agreement was signed as both countries took part in the UN General Assembly in New York, where officials from governments around the world have been holding bilateral meetings and signing agreements on cooperation.
The latest agreement specifically concerns diplomatic, service and special passport holders rather than ordinary passport holders. Armenia’s Foreign Ministry listed the Rwanda agreement among bilateral visa-waiver arrangements signed during the UN General Assembly week.
