New Delhi, July 3 (IANS): President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday extended his greetings and felicitations to the government and people of the East African country of Rwanda on their national day.

"On behalf of the government, the people of India and on my own behalf, it is with pleasure that I extend warm greetings and felicitations on the occasion of your National Day," Mukherjee said in a message to his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame.

He said that India continues to stand with the Rwandan people and government in their efforts to build a harmonious society based on democracy, peace and justice for all people as the country commemorates the 22nd Year of the 1994 genocide in which at least 800,000 persons of the minority Tutsi and moderate Hutu communities were killed by Hutu extremists.

"India and Rwanda enjoy warm and friendly relations. Our bilateral relationship and cooperation in regional and international fora has been growing steadily in recent times. As Rwanda marches ahead, we continue to work together to enhance and strengthen these relations for the mutual benefit of our peoples," said Mukherjee.

Rwanda observes July 4 as Liberation Day marking the defeat of the genocide regime by Kagame's Rwandan Patriotic Front.