BUJUMBURA September 12th (ABP) – The Speaker of the National Assembly of Burundi, Mr. Pascal Nyabenda, received in audience Mrs. Caecilia Wijgers, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Burundi, in the Kigobe Congress House on Tuesday September 10th, a check by ABP revealed.
According to Mr. Alexis Badian Ndayihimbaze, spokesman of the National Assembly, the exchanges between the two persons in authority, together with the two Deputy Speakers of the National Assembly, focused on the cooperation relations between the two countries and projects that are worked on by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Burundi.
Mr. Ndayihimbaze noted that the Kingdom of the Netherlands has supported Burundi in the context of school canteens. In that regard, he said that the Speaker of the National Assembly of Burundi thanked that country, because the dropout rate was revised downward thanks to that project. He continued to say that this country has supported our country in the DSS project in the areas of defense and security.
The spokesman of the National Assembly said Mr. Nyabenda commended the support of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for food security through the distribution of chemical fertilizers. He noted that Burundians use those fertilizers on a large scale, which has made it possible to increase agricultural production in a remarkable way compared to previous years.
During the same exchanges, the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands listed projects in which her country will support. She said her country would like to fund youth development projects. While commending that initiative, the Speaker of the National Assembly raised the issue that young people should be consulted to explain to them which projects they should be supported.
The exchanges also concerned the relations between Burundi and the countries of the European Union (EU), which are not currently in good shape, as long as the EU has taken sanctions against Burundi and withdrawn its support in several development projects. Ambassador Wijgers promised to advocate for the resumption of cooperation between Burundi and the EU by cleaning up the diplomatic landscape through the settlement of disagreement between Burundi and EU countries, Mr. Ndayihimbaze said.
Another project that the Kingdom of the Netherlands is going to support in Burundi is the transport of people and goods on Lake Tanganyika, in order to develop cross-border trade between Burundi and the countries of the region. In that regard, according to the spokesman of the National Assembly, the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands submitted the idea of bringing together partners from the region in that sector, to invest in that project in Burundi. The Speaker of the National Assembly commended that project, Mr. Ndayihimbaze said.
Regarding the holding of the next elections in 2020, Mrs. Wijgers wanted to know the state of its preparations and the Speaker of the National Assembly responded that the country is on the right way, because currently, it is able to finance those elections, without any foreign contribution. Elections that Mr. Nyabenda deemed “historic” because they will be different from previous years.
Mrs. Caecilia Wijgers asked the Speaker of the National Assembly how his country could support those elections. In that regard, Mr. Nyabenda indicated that, in large part, foreign countries are asked to observe those elections, as they will proceed well.
