The bill on the ratification by the Republic of Burundi of the Agreement on the abolition of visas for holders of diplomatic and service passports between the Government of the Republic of Burundi and the Government of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria was adopted unanimously during the plenary session held on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at the Kigobe Congress Palace.
According to the Minister of Interior, Community Development and Public Security, Honorable Martin NITERETSE, who was delegated by the Government to explain the said bill to the Honorable Members of Parliament, the added value of this bill is to facilitate the movement of Burundian and Algerian nationals holding diplomatic and service passports between their respective territories, which will further strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries which date back to 1973. In the same vein, said Minister NITERETSE, Burundi will continue to cooperate in the organization of capacity building programs for the benefit of executives and senior managers of Burundi in various areas such as agriculture and livestock, education, health, defense and security. To this end, there will be the sending of experts from various sectors and delegations of economic operators to develop win-win business partnerships with local operators and promote various investment opportunities in order to carry out joint projects in priority sectors of interest.
The Honorable Members asked why the holders of ordinary passports are not taken into account by this bill, the Minister of Public Security replied that it is necessary to go progressively in order not to open the door to a disorder that could be linked to uncontrolled migration as it was the case for Serbia.
This is why the bill concerns those who hold diplomatic and service passports. They will operate in the above-mentioned sectors, and from this, they will have to discover the reality of the work field. Perhaps after further experience, we will judge the feasibility of integrating these holders of ordinary passports, concluded Minister Martin NITERETSE.
