Rwanda's President Paul Kagame has downplayed the diplomatic tiff between Kigali and Tanzania, saying that the two countries are in the East African Community to work for “one common objective”.

“I didn’t realise that things were so bad between us and Tanzania that when we talk to each other it becomes headline news. But yes, we are all in the East African Community, we work for one common objective of integration. People may have different views about different issues but at the end of the day the interests are the same. There are common objectives,” President Kagame said.

President Kagame’s remarks came as the two countries quietly work on plans to rekindle bilateral ties which broke down in 2013 after President Jakaya Kikwete called on Rwanda to hold talks with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

The comments by the Tanzanian leader riled Kigali, threatening relations, with President Kagame at some point vowing to wait for the right time to hit back at his Tanzanian counterpart.

The relations soured from May 2013 and by the beginning of 2015, there were no signs of mending fences.

However it all changed when President Kikwete took over the chairmanship of the EAC in February. The two leaders met in Nairobi after almost two years.

READ: Kagame meets Kikwete, signalling bid to mend relations between countries

On March 7, President Kikwete travelled to Kigali on an invitation of his Rwandan counterpart to attend the 9th Northern Corridor Integration Projects Summit, signalling a change of heart.

President Kikwete’s visit was reciprocated when Kagame visited Dar es Salaam on March 26 where he addressed the Central Corridor High Level Industry and Investor Forum and flagged off a cargo railway project that will link landlocked Rwanda to the sea through Tanzania.

READ: Presidents strike deal on Central Corridor

The Rwandan leader said that the two countries have left behind their differences, to focus on the common good of their people.

Following the diplomatic standoff originating from President Kikwete’s remarks, officials from either side levelled accusations against each other, with Kigali accusing Dar of supporting the FDLR rebels, who were at some point described as “freedom fighters,” a description that riled Rwanda further.

“The visits are a good thing to discuss issues of mutual interest but this time around whether it is the visit of the President of Tanzania to Rwanda or my visit to Tanzania, we didn’t touch on issues to do with FDLR or some of these issues that have characterised the two countries in the media,” he said.