"There are good prospects for increasing our cooperation. We are expanding the legal basis of our ties, documents on nuclear energy, healthcare, justice, labor are expected to be signed with Burundi," Putin said on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg.
Speaking at a meeting with Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, the Russian leader described the east-central African nation as Moscow's trusted partner in Africa. The two countries marked the 60 years of diplomatic relations in 2022 and "reenergized their political contacts this year," Putin said.
Russian consumer rights watchdog chief Anna Popova traveled to Burundi for talks in February. Burundi’s Foreign Minister Albert Shingiro came to Sochi for talks in March, while Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov returned the courtesy in May in what was the first ever visit of its kind.
"Today we will discuss plans for bilateral cooperation and then we will be joined by our colleagues for an opinion exchange on regional issues, especially considering that Burundi is holding the rotating presidency of the East African community," Putin told Ndayishimiye.
Putin said that Russia and Burundi shared their approach to most international problems and thanked Burundi for backing Russian initiatives at multinational forums.
"We are of course looking forward to cooperating with you, primarily within the United Nations," the Russian president said.
The second Russia-Africa Summit and Economic and Humanitarian Forum is taking place in the Russian city of St. Petersburg from July 27-28. Summit participants are expected to sign a number of international and bilateral documents. Sputnik is an official media partner of the event.