Seychelles and Burundi eye general cooperation agreement   |02 May 2023

Minister Radegonde welcomes Ambassador Bukuru at the Maison Quéau de Quinssy

A general cooperation agreement to be followed by the establishment of a joint cooperation commission has been proposed by Seychelles and Burundi as the foundation for reinforcing the existing bilateral relations between the two countries.

This proposal resulted from a meeting between the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde, and the ambassador of Burundi to Seychelles, Alexis Bukuru, on Thursday last week at the Maison Quéau de Quinssy.

During the discussion, the diplomats agreed to orient their collaborations on specific sectors of shared interest for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

Among the areas identified are farming, fisheries, tourism, and south-south cooperation.

In this context, Burundi, a country that has been able to develop well its farming sector, is keen to share its experience with Seychelles.

On the other hand, considering the fact that tourism is the main pillar of Seychelles’ economy and with its wide-ranging expertise, Seychelles could be instrumental in helping the development of Burundi’s tourism sector.

Burundi is also willing to gain Seychelles’ assistance in the fisheries sector, specifically in canning fish.

Minister Radegonde highlighted the common objective that the two countries share, which is to further enhance relations.

“Our two countries are part of the same continent, although connectivity makes it further than it should be, know we are here, and we would like to develop our relationship further,” the minister said.

Seychelles and Burundi established diplomatic relations in July 2002.

Ambassador Bukuru will be based in Pretoria, South Africa.

Press release from the department of Foreign Affairs