Rwanda, Burundi ready to normalize bilateral Relations and Cooperation
Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Vincent Biruta has assured his Burundian counterpart, Albert Shingiro, that Rwanda is ready to play an active role in the renewal of good relations between the two countries.
Minister was speaking on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at a bilateral meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two nations which took place at Nemba Border, in Bugesera District, the Eastern Province.
Minister Biruta commended Burundi for its decision to bring the two sides together for talks on bilateral relations.
“We are not just neighbors, we are brothers and sisters,” he said. That is why now I am speaking Kinyarwanda; you speak Kirundi we all understand from each other and no one needs translations. So, your visit today, we believe is a big step in the way of restoring the relationship between Rwanda and Burundi, and I would like to tell you that we are ready, we are really ready to restore that relationship.” Minister Biruta said
“We are ready to talk, and we will discuss the existing issues and find solutions because we feel it is in the interest of both our governments, but especially in the interests of the people of Rwanda, and in the interests of the people of Burundi,” he added.
Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, Albert Shingiro, “sincerely” praised the way they had been received in Rwanda and the way the two countries had organized the talks.
“We are here as a government, to show that we want our relations with our neighboring country, Rwanda, to be as stable as it was before 2015, so now the Burundian government wants us to try and normalize that relationship,” he said, “that we may live together again as before, as brothers, as neighbors.”
“So, in the coming days the relationship between Burundi and Rwanda can be better, and I see that there is no impediment to the will of Burundians and Rwandans,” Minister Shingiro said.
The Ministers talks come after Rwandan President Paul Kagame expressed his country’s readiness to cooperate with Burundi.
