BUJUMBURA May 24th (ABP) – The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Mr. Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo accompanied by his wife Mrs. Denise Nyakeru and a strong delegation, began on Saturday May 21, 2022, a visit official 3-day trip to Burundi.
At Melchior Ndadaye International Airport, the Congolese Head of State was welcomed by the Burundian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, Mr. Albert Shingiro.*
He was then taken to the presidential palace Ntare Rushatsi, where his Burundian counterpart, President Evariste Ndayishimiye, gave him a warm welcome but also rich in color and marked by a 21-gun shot.
The two personalities planted a mango tree to immortalize this visit. The two heads of state then spent an important moment face-to-face, at the end of which Felix Tshisekedi addressed the press. He said that he had just exchanged with his Burundian counterpart on important subjects going in the direction of the interests of the Burundian and Congolese people, who must get closer while developing common projects. “My stay will be longer because I will visit the interior of Burundi to inquire about what is done in particular in agriculture, in agricultural cooperatives, how the army is organized to take care of itself”, he revealed. He also reported that they discussed the railway that would start from Tanzania and pass-through Burundi to end in Congo, more precisely in Kindu. He also mentioned the bridge project between South Kivu and the Cibitoke province of Burundi.
In his speech delivered on the occasion of a state banquet that the Burundian president offered in honor of his counterpart of the DRC and who followed the welcoming ceremonies, he indicated that Burundi remains ready to share its experience and its services between the two countries which are, moreover, linked by culture, language, history and geography. “Our two countries are more than neighbours, they are brothers and share the same future,” he said. “We also share a common heritage which is Lake Tanganyika, an extraordinary lake which is the second deepest in the world after Lake Baikal and which abounds in a reserve of potable fresh water,” he continued.
He also pointed out that the cooperation relations between Burundi and the DRC date back many years and are governed by the general cooperation agreement signed in Kinshasa on June 26, 1980 and which was revised on September 10. This agreement has established a safe channel to explore different areas of development between the two countries through a joint cooperation commission that meets alternately on the territory of Burundi and the DRC. The most recent was held in Kinshasa on August 31, 2021 and resulted in the signing of several cooperation agreements in the area of common interests.
According to President Ndayishimiye, the Burundian government is making a lot of effort to invest in the agricultural sector, with a view to first increasing production by working in cooperative groups so that every mouth has something to eat and every pocket has money.
Thus, he continued, the Burundian government remains willing to put its experience at the service of the Burundian and Congolese people to strengthen the security of people and property on Lake Tanganyika and on the roads closest to the two countries, but and specially to facilitate trade between the two countries and promote investment in the area where Burundi excels.