Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Burundi
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation organized, from December 5 to 6, 2023, at the Lake Tanganyika Club, in the economic capital of Bujumbura, an information and exchange Seminar for the Parliamentarians, members of the Commissions in charge of political and diplomatic issues.
In his speech at the launch of activities, on Tuesday December 5, 2023, on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, His Excellency Albert Shingiro, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation Mr. Ferdinand Bashikako welcomed the guests.
He thanked the President of the Commission at the National Assembly, Honorable Côme Manirakiza for his sincere and active collaboration in the preparation and completion of that work. He also thanked the Honorable Executives for being kind enough to respond to the invitation, and everyone who contributed to the preparation of the Seminar.
He specified that that Seminar is a means of exchanging information and sharing the experiences on certain diplomatic sectors targeted by the mutual agreement likely in responding more easily and with the full knowledge of the facts to their legislative mission. It was also an opportunity for the Ministry for providing them with the necessary instruments to better understand the diplomatic work and its effects on the population that they represent with dignity.
Mr. Ferdinand Bashikako informed them that our country has regained its rightful place in the concert of the Nations, under the enlightened leadership of His Excellency Evariste NDAYISHIMIYE, President of the Republic of Burundi. He said that that development strongly encouraged the country in strengthening the National and International Sovereignty, particularly through the development of an official foreign policy document.
That Seminar revolved around three presentations:
-A presentation on the negotiation of partnerships and cooperation agreements which falls doubly within their remit because not only do they negotiate partnerships and agreements themselves but also because the Government submits the acts relating to the diplomatic sector to their vote and cooperation, in response to the relevant articles of the National Constitution.
-Diplomatic, legal and protocol practices in order to clarify the interactions with the parliamentary work;
-The main orientations of Burundi’s foreign policy.
He finally concluded that those themes converge towards a common objective which is the full realization of the economic diplomacy of our country based on five pillars, namely the attraction of the foreign investments; technology transfer; the gradual industrialization of the country; infrastructure development; promoting trade and tourism. They converge at the same time towards the implementation of the Vision of a “Burundi emerging country in 2040 and developed country in 2060”.
Before closing the Seminar, the participants raised the recommendations. They really appreciated the organization of that Seminar for them because they benefited from the analysis tools in their daily work, and they wished another Seminar for them to learn more because the time was short.
