Nepal, Burundi set up diplomatic relations

Kathmandu, June 7

Ambassadors Durga Prasad Bhattarai and Albert Shingiro, the Permanent Representatives of Nepal and Burundi to the United Nations respectively, signed a Joint Communiqué establishing formal diplomatic relations between the two countries in New York, yesterday.

A joint letter was also signed to inform the UN Secretary-General about the development.

On the occasion, the ambassadors exchanged greetings on behalf of their heads of state and governments and reflected how diplomatic ties could be further consolidated between the two countries. They exchanged views on various measures to further deepen and expand the scope of mutual cooperation, according to a press release issued by the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations in New York.

Both Nepal and Burundi are group members of Least Developed Countries and Land-Locked Developing Countries, the Group of 77 and the Non-Aligned Movement. The two countries are also serving members of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Nepal and Burundi were non-permanent members of the UN Security Council in 1970, and members of the Economic and Social Council in 2002 and 2003, representing their nations in the Asia-Pacific and Africa regions respectively.

Located in the Great Lakes region of East Africa, Burundi’s total area is around 27,000 square kilometres and has a population of about 11 million. Bujumbura is the capital of Burundi. It shares borders with Rwanda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to its north, south and west respectively. It is an agricultural country, with coffee and tea making up the bulk of its export trade.

Burundi joined the UN on 18 September 1962 following independence from Belgium. “With the Government of Nepal’s special initiative to make the country’s diplomatic ties as universal as possible, the number of countries with which Nepal has diplomatic relations has now reached 160 and the number will continue to grow,” the release said.