President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Saturday received Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye, the current Chairperson of the African Union (AU), on the sidelines of the Alamein Africa Forum in New Alamein City.
Sisi welcomed Ndayishimiye to Egypt, commending Burundi’s leadership of the African Union and praising the Burundian president’s efforts to advance African co-operation and integration, as well as the implementation of the AU’s Agenda 2063.
President Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to continued co-ordination and consultation with Burundi and reiterated Cairo’s support for AU efforts to address conflicts and crises across the continent through peaceful means.
He also stressed the importance of strengthening stability and creating an environment conducive to sustainable development and prosperity for African nations.
The meeting also explored ways to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.
In this context, Sisi underscored Cairo’s commitment to expanding economic and development co-operation, particularly in infrastructure, agriculture, irrigation, water resources, energy, healthcare and capacity building.
He also highlighted the importance of drawing on the expertise of Egyptian companies in implementing development projects in Burundi in a manner that serves the mutual interests of both countries and supports Burundi’s socio-economic development.
Burundi eyes deeper co-operation
For his part, Ndayishimiye expressed his anticipation for the convening of the Egypt-Burundi Joint Committee and welcomed the significant progress achieved in bilateral relations.
He also expressed appreciation for Sisi’s willingness to deepen co-operation and make Egyptian expertise available across a range of development sectors.
The Burundian president commended Egypt’s role in supporting development efforts and promoting peace and security across Africa. He reaffirmed Burundi’s commitment to maintaining close co-ordination and consultation with Egypt within the framework of the African Union and on issues of common interest.
The two presidents also discussed the latest developments concerning the Nile water issue.
In this regard, President Sisi reaffirmed the importance of strengthening co-operation among Nile Basin countries on the basis of achieving mutual interests and avoiding harm to any of the basin states.
He reiterated Egypt’s established position on safeguarding its water rights and interests, which constitute an existential issue for the Egyptian people.
President Sisi further affirmed Egypt’s support for development efforts in all Nile Basin countries, while stressing the risks posed by unilateral measures that could affect the water interests of riparian states. He also rejected the politicisation of the Nile water issue for political gain.
President Ndayishimiye, for his part, affirmed Burundi’s full understanding of Egypt’s concerns regarding the Nile water issue, recognising that water is a matter of life and an existential issue for Egypt.
He stressed that development should not come at the expense of peoples’ interests and reaffirmed Burundi’s commitment to the principles of co-operation, consultation and consensus among Nile Basin states.
