Meeting with President of the Republic of Burundi Evariste Ndayishimiye

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, friends.

I am delighted to welcome you to St Petersburg. We view Burundi as a reliable partner and our reliable friend on the African continent. Last year, Russia and Burundi marked 60 years of diplomatic relations.

Today we can discuss plans for bilateral cooperation and later exchange views on regional matters with you, Mr President, and other colleagues, including in the context of Burundi's current chairmanship in the East African Community.

We noted, with satisfaction, that our political contacts have intensified this year. In March, the Burundian Foreign Minister took part in talks in Sochi. In May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov became the first foreign minister of Russia to visit Burundi.

Earlier, in February, Burundi was visited by Anna Popova, Head of the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor). Mr President, I appreciate it that you found time in your schedule to meet with her personally.

In January-April, Russia-Burundi trade grew at a higher rate than in 2022. The absolute figures are still relatively small, but we have good prospects for ramping up our partnership.

We are expanding the legal framework of our links. On the sidelines of this summit, Russia and Burundi plan to sign documents on nuclear energy, healthcare, justice and labour.

We are satisfied with our cooperation in healthcare. Our specialised agencies signed an agreement on establishing a Russian-Burundian research centre for contagious diseases. The first joint research into severe infections at the research centre is scheduled for this October.

In early 2024, we plan to hand over a mobile express diagnostics laboratory based on a GAZ vehicle. It is currently in production.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Lavrov SergeiForeign Minister of Russia: We have seen it already.

Vladimir Putin: Great. Minister Lavrov is saying that you have seen it today. A model of this laboratory is on display at the summit.

We provide training to Burundian professionals. In the course of our cooperation, we have trained 4,500 specialists from Burundi. Eighty-four students are currently studying in Russia. In view of the growing demand, we have doubled the government quota to 100 places.

We have also noted with satisfaction the Burundian people's growing interest in learning Russian. On May 15, the Department of Foreign Languages of the University of Burundi opened a Russian language section.

Mr President, colleagues, I want to note that Russia and Burundi have similar approaches to most international issues. We are grateful for the support for Russian initiatives at multilateral platforms. Certainly, we are interested in further constructive cooperation with you, particularly at the UN.

Once again, welcome to Russia.

To be continued.

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