BUJUMBURA, January 14th (ABP) – The Speaker of the National Assembly, Gélase Daniel Ndabirabe, chaired on Friday January 12, 2024, at the Kigobe hemicycle, a plenary session to analyze and pass the bill on ratification by the Republic of Burundi of the agreement between the Government of the Republic of Cuba on the reciprocal visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, official and service passports signed in Havana on September 14, 2023. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, Ambassador Albert Shingiro was the guest of the day.
During the explanatory memorandum, the Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs recalled that on the sidelines of the Summit of Southern countries with China (G77 + China) held in Havana, Cuba on September 15 to 16, 2023 at which participated the President of the Republic of Burundi and the government of the Republic of Cuba, on September 14, 2023 in Havana, an Agreement was signed between the two governments on the reciprocal visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, official and service passports. This Agreement, which was signed following an official ceremony between Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla and his Burundian counterpart, Ambassador Albert Shingiro, attended by other officials from the said ministries, will only be applied to diplomats and civil servants of the two countries.
This signature, which testifies to the good state of the ties of friendship, fraternity and cooperation, reaffirms the desire of the Cuban and Burundian governments to further consolidate them while expressing the maturity and mutual trust which characterize the historical ties of fraternity between the two brother countries. In addition, the abolition of visas for holders of diplomatic, official and service passports will allow faster exchange, regularity and fluidity of travel of officials from two respective administrations, called on a day-to-day basis to collaborate and exchange with a view to taking those ties of friendship and cooperation to higher levels. It would thus create favorable conditions for economic, commercial and investment cooperation activities between the two countries.
During the question session, the MPs recalled that over the last 3 years, Burundi has signed many Visa Exemption Agreements of countries with which it maintains good diplomatic relations. They wanted to know which ones have already been implemented and the added value that the country has already obtained thanks to those agreements.
Minister Shingiro responded that most of the Agreements that Burundi has signed regarding visa exemption over the last 3 years have provisions under which they come into force after the exchange of diplomatic notes showing that the formalities of ratification has been accomplished by both parties. Thus, the agreements signed and ratified during that period are 6 in number and are implemented. These are agreements between Russia, Algeria, Morocco, Indonesia, Egypt and the Republic of Maldives.
The added value that the country has already obtained thanks to those agreements is evident in that the increase in visits plays a very important role in strengthening relations between the two parties.
The representatives of the people also asked that given the government’s vision of making Burundi an emerging country in 2040 and a developed country in 2060, why not focusing this Agreement on the facilities to be granted to businessmen and investors supposed to be able to develop the economic activities to achieve this vision. The minister responded that the Visa Exemption Agreement between the countries is concluded essentially to facilitate the travel of diplomats or officials from one of the two countries to the other to participate in official meetings or missions aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation in various areas of common interests. For this purpose, this privilege is granted on the one hand to a restricted group of people, namely the holders of diplomatic or service passports who are generally sent to such missions, and on the other hand to avoid uncontrolled movements of people who could take advantage of this breach to engage in activities not beneficial to both countries, sometimes even cross-border criminal acts.
As for the facilities to be granted to businessmen and investors expected to be able to develop economic activities to achieve the country’s vision 2040-2060, it should be noted that this Agreement will pave the way for the conclusion of other Agreements that Burundi has negotiated with the government of Cuba in Burundi’s priority sectoral areas such as health, education and agriculture.
For Burundians who go to look for job in neighboring countries and elsewhere, they are called upon to go there in accordance with the law while providing themselves with the documents required to be socially and legally protected. Those who go to Asian countries like Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, must go through recruitment companies recognized by the State to avoid all the challenges that arise for people who go there illegally.
After analysis, the bill was passed unanimously with certain recommendations.