Rwanda is working with Burundi to bring bilateral relations back on the right track, the Rwandan Foreign affairs minister, Dr Vincent Biruta said Thursday.
According to Dr. Biruta, talks that have been ongoing between Rwanda and Burundi are improving though there is “some work to do”.
“The Head of Military intelligence services have been meeting, they have met more than once, two times. We shall keep engaging with the government of Burundi. So far, there is some progress,” he said.
According to him, other actions will follow after the visit of the Prime Minister to Burundi.
Earlier this month, Rwanda’s Prime Minister, Dr. Edouard Ngirente visited Burundi during the country’s 59th Independence celebrations.
During the visit, the top Rwandan government said that Bujumbura was ready to play its part in the efforts to fully restore ties.
Speaking at the occasion, President of Burundi Evariste Ndayishimiye said that having a delegation from Rwanda as they celebrated 59 years of independence was a strong signal of a new chapter in the relations of the two countries.
The two countries look forward to normalizing relations which have deteriorated since 2015.
Rwanda and Burundi’s efforts to restore relations have been on agenda since a couple of years ago.
In October last year, Dr. Biruta and his Burundian counterpart, Albert Shingiro, met at Nemba One-Stop Border Post to discuss ways of normalizing relations.
Rwanda and Burundi have a lot in common; culture, language, and both gained independence from Belgium on the same day – July 1, 1962.
Relations between the two countries have soured since 2015, when conflict broke out in Burundi and the late Pierre Nkurunziza accused Rwanda of backing the dissidents, a claim denied by Kigali.
CU/abj/APA