BUJUMBURA October 26th (ABP) – The Minister of Foreign Relations and Development Cooperation, Mr. Albert Shingiro indicated on Tuesday October 25, 2022 that his ministry is closely monitoring the situation of Burundians leaving for Serbia who are stranded in airports because that country took the step a few days ago of requiring visas for holders of ordinary passports.
During a session presenting the achievements of the first quarter of the year 2022-2023, he indicated that his ministry intends to dialogue with the Serbian government to see if it can authorize these people stranded in several airports to enter if not to dialogue with the airlines so that they return in all dignity to the country so that they regularize this question of visa.
According to him, the Serbian government has the right to take this measure, stressing that it does not prevent Burundians from entering this country.
Holders of service passports or diplomatic passports remain exempt from visas.
Regarding relations with Rwanda, Minister Shingiro said that these relations are improving more and more, which is why Burundi has opened the borders with this country.
However, he said, Burundi continues to request the extradition of the putschists, so that the good relations can be total.
Minister Shingiro also indicated that his ministry has achieved many other things in this area of politico-diplomatic gains. He cited the presidency by Burundi of some sessions of the 77th ordinary session of the United Nations General Assembly in his capacity as Vice-President of the United Nations General Assembly.
The Ministry has pursued steps aimed at further warming up ties of friendship and cooperation with the European Union and its Member States as well as other countries in all continents. He negotiated with the UN the new framework cooperation plan of the UN system for the sustainable development of Burundi, an instrument which aims to make Burundian society more prosperous, inclusive and resilient by 2027.
In that new framework, the concept of assistance has given way to the concept of cooperation that respects the principle of national ownership and the choices of Burundians.
Minister Shingiro also announced that he signed with his Hungarian counterpart a memorandum of understanding between the Republic of Burundi and the Republic of Hungary on cooperation within the framework of the Hungarian scholarship program for the period 2022-2024. He also signed with the Japanese ambassador to Burundi a note of a Japanese donation of 1500 tons of rice worth 4.5 billion BIF as well as a cooperation agreement between Burundi and the Republic of Indonesia on the exemption from entry visas in these two countries for holders of diplomatic and service passports. That was also done with the Kingdom of Morocco.