国际英语新闻:New Zealand becomes first country to hand over genocide archives to Rwanda

KIGALI, April 19 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand on Friday became the first country to hand over archives related to the 1994 genocide to Rwanda.

Of all the countries having historical ties with Rwanda that were requested to share archive documents in their possession, New Zealand is the first country to respond positively, Rwandan Foreign Minister Richard Sezibera briefed journalists after receiving the documents.

Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Trevor Mallard handed over the text-based documents such as correspondences related to the genocide to Sezibera after a meeting with a New Zealand delegation of lawmakers.

Sezibera thanked New Zealand for spearheading this process and requested others to do the same.

The text-based documents related to the genocide help deepen understanding of the genocide and are important in preserving its memory, he said.

The delegation is in the central African country for a five-day working visit starting Wednesday.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide which claimed the lives of more than one million people, mainly ethnic Tutsis.