BUJUMBURA, July 4th (ABP) – The President of the Republic of Chad, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, returned to his country on Monday 1 July after a visit to Burundi from 30 June to 1 July.
The visit culminated in a joint communiqué read by Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, Albert Shingiro, in which he announced that the visit was part of an effort to strengthen bilateral, regional and international relations.
According to the press release, the two leaders discussed the current situation in their countries as well as bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest.
At the bilateral level, they welcomed the various relations that exist between the two countries and their peoples and expressed their common desire to strengthen those relations, especially in the social and economic fields, in order to combat poverty.
The President of Chad congratulated his counterpart from the Republic of Burundi on his commitment to making Burundi an emerging country by 2040 and a developed country by 2060, on his commitment to peace and security in the country, and on his remarkable efforts to promote good governance and combat poverty through the development of the agricultural sector.
For his part, the President of the Republic of Burundi congratulated his Chadian counterpart on his brilliant election to the highest office in his country on 23 May 2024.
With regard to economic cooperation, the two Heads of State stressed the importance of trade in promoting investment between the two countries and agreed to put in place mechanisms to facilitate the exploitation of natural resources, in particular mining.
They also agreed to develop the aviation sector, stating that agreements would be drawn up to facilitate direct flights between Ndjamena and Bujumbura.
With regard to technological cooperation, they decided to work together in the fields of information technology and renewable energy, as well as in the fight against terrorism, while pledging to promote peace and security in the region.
At the regional and continental levels, they welcomed the contribution of Burundi and Chad to peacekeeping and counter-terrorism operations in Somalia, the Central African Republic and eastern DRC. They underlined the importance for the international community of resolving international conflicts by peaceful means, through dialogue, consultation and cooperation, in order to protect the population, in particular women and children, who are the most frequent victims of conflicts.
In the margins of that visit, the President of the Republic of Chad joined the people of Burundi in celebrating the 62nd anniversary of the independence of that country. He also visited the commune of Bugendana and the tourist site of Gishora in the province of Gitega.
President Mahamat Idris Deby thanked President Ndayishimiye and the people of Burundi for their warm welcome and invited his counterpart to visit the Republic of Chad to continue discussions on strengthening friendship and cooperation between the two countries.