UAE Ambassador to Rwanda holds Ramadan iftar.

Hazza Mohammed Kharsan Al Qahtany, UAE Ambassador to Rwanda, held a Ramadan iftar attended by Dr. Richard Sesebera, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Rwanda.

Also at the iftar was the Deputy Grand Mufti of Rwanda, Father Antoine Cambanda, Pastor of the Catholic Diocese of Rwanda, and Bishop Samuel Cainamura, Representative of the Protestant Church, as well as heads of diplomatic missions and senior officials, along with scholars and clerics.

In his speech, Al Qahtany stated that the iftar aims to gather people from various religious and ideologies, while highlighting the fact that 200 nationalities live in the UAE community.

"We, in the UAE, believe in the importance of gathering people during Ramadan, especially this year, which is the Year of Tolerance," he said, adding that the UAE’s leadership promotes tolerance, peaceful coexistence, religious pluralism and interfaith dialogue.

The UAE and Rwanda are committed to religious diversity, and their leaderships aim to reinforce the values of tolerance and integration, he noted.

Dr. Sesebera thanked Al Qahtany for the invitation to the iftar, which reflects the UAE’s tolerance, adding that 2019 being the Year of Tolerance, continues the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Father Cambanda said that the UAE is home to many nationalities, who live without religious discrimination, adding that that the hospitality received by Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church during his visit to the UAE in February, reflected the country’s spirit of coexistence and tolerance.

Bishop Cainamura also praised the role of the UAE in promoting fraternity and interfaith dialogue.

At the end of the event, Al Qahtany honoured Dr. Sesebera and offered Cambanda and Cainamura souvenir sculptures of Sheikh Zayed.

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