I don't think anybody out there in the media, U.N., human rights organisations, has any moral right whatsoever to level any accusations against me or against Rwanda. Because, when it came to the problems facing Rwanda, and the Congo, they were all useless.
You requested me to lead the country again after 2017. Given the importance and consideration you attach to this, I can only accept.
We want to develop this can-do mentality.
There is a need to take advantage of the change that has taken place in the Congo, however tragic that has been in its coming.
We cannot just be a corridor to smuggle minerals out.
We must create economic opportunity, build a culture of entrepreneurship, get people to take responsibility for improving their lives, rather than putting them in a position where they sit back in their poverty and blame others for it.
The U.N. must be a good steward of the funds entrusted to it. Abuse and waste are therefore not a mere public relations problem. Institutional reform is not a one-off event, like applying a fresh coat of paint.
In a state of poverty, illiteracy, people just remain exposed to all kinds of manipulation. That's what we have lived. It's easier to tell a poor person, 'You know what, you are poor, you're hungry because the other one has taken away your rights.'
To be effective at delivering a decent life for all, the U.N. must treat all the people it serves with impartiality and respect.
Nothing would catch me off guard, because I understand the world I live in. I understand it very well. And the world I live in is not necessarily a fair or just world. I have dealt with these injustices for the bigger part of my life.
The judicial system of Rwanda is not subordinate to France or France's interests.
In Africa today, we recognise that trade and investment, and not aid, are pillars of development.
I'm not British. I'm not American. I'm not French. Whatever thing they practise, that is their business. I am an African. I am Rwandese.
We cannot turn the clock back nor can we undo the harm caused, but we have the power to determine the future and to ensure that what happened never happens again.
