El-Sisi Receives Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burundi

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, received today the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burundi Ezéchiel Nibigira in the presence of the Ambassador of Burundi to Cairo, Moussa Soleimani.

The Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency said that the President welcomed the Foreign Minister of Burundi and requested to send greetings to President Pierre Nkurunziza, expressing Egypt's pride in the friendly bilateral relations and cooperation and their keenness to develop bilateral relations at all levels. This will help continue the transfer of experience and capacity building in Burundi through the courses and grants provided by Egypt and contribute to the construction of Burundian cadres, as well as the support of the agriculture and energy sectors in Burundi, in light of Egypt's great experience in these sectors and its keenness to transfer that expertise to the neighboring Nile Basin states. The Egyptian president also stressed the importance of close coordination between the two countries on issues related to the Nile water, expressing Egypt's appreciation for the position of Burundi on reaching a consensus on The Nile Basin Framework Agreement. He affirmed Egypt's aspiration to continue cooperation with Burundi in this issue for mutual benefit and the common interests of all Nile Basin countries.

The Spokesman added that the Foreign Minister of Burundi sent the greetings of the President of Burundi to the El-Sisi, praising the levels of political and economic cooperation between the two countries, stressing Burundi's keenness to promote such cooperation in various fields. The Burundian Minister of Foreign Affairs also affirmed his country's appreciation for Egypt's positions and its support for Burundi in international forums as well as for its development efforts, particularly through its technical support and building of African cadres and capabilities through Egyptian experts who are sent to African countries through the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development. He also commended the role of Egyptian companies in contributing to the development of Burundi. Mr. Nibigira also praised the pioneering role of Egypt in the African continent. He expressed his country's confidence that Egypt's upcoming presidency of the African Union will further advance the African continent and the African integration. He expressed his country's deep appreciation to Egypt and the President for their commitment to work hard to achieve the continent’s interests, prosperity and progress.

The Spokesman of the Egyptian Presidency said that the meeting also addressed the developments of the situation in Africa and the challenges facing it, especially with regard to the fight against terrorism and extremism. The two sides agreed on the need to strengthen cooperation and coordination in order to achieve peace, security and stability in the African continent.