Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng (right) meets with Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye on September 13 on the occasion of his working trip to attend the 18th BRICS Summit. VNA/VNS Photo

NEW DELHI – Việt Nam attaches importance to promoting friendly relations and cooperation with African countries, including Burundi, Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng told Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye during their meeting on September 13 on the occasion of his working trip to attend the 18th BRICS Summit and conduct bilateral activities in India.

PM Hưng spoke highly of Burundi’s achievements in advancing Africa’s development agenda as Chair of the African Union (AU) for 2026–2027 as well as the development of Việt Nam-Burundi relations, particularly since President Ndayishimiye’s visit to Việt Nam in April 2025.

Thanking President Ndayishimiye and the Burundi Government for supporting the effective operation of Lumitel, the telecommunications joint venture of Việt Nam’s Viettel Group in Burundi, the PM proposed that Burundi continue facilitating Lumitel’s participation in e-government and digital transformation projects, while enabling it to expand investment and business activities, making it a symbol of bilateral cooperation.

Building on Viettel’s success in Burundi, PM Hưng proposed that the two sides expand cooperation into new areas, including industry, defence trade and agriculture.

He also suggested increasing trade and investment through mechanisms to connect businesses, share information on markets and potential projects, and accelerate the finalisation of the legal framework for bilateral cooperation.

For his part, President Ndayishimiye expressed admiration for Việt Nam’s socio-economic development achievements and recalled his positive impressions from his 2025 visit to the country.

He affirmed that Burundi attaches importance to developing relations with Việt Nam and agreed with PM Hưng’s proposals to promote bilateral cooperation, with trade and investment serving as a key focus.

The President highly valued Lumitel’s contributions to Burundi’s socio-economic development and improvements in people’s livelihoods, affirming that the Burundi Government will create favourable conditions for the joint venture to maintain stable and effective operations.

He said that as Burundi steps up its development efforts, the country wishes to learn from Việt Nam’s experience and welcomes Vietnamese businesses to explore investment and business opportunities in Burundi, particularly in mining, energy, agriculture and digital transformation.

The two leaders agreed to continue strengthening cooperation and mutual support at multilateral forums, while promoting their respective roles as bridges to enhance cooperation between each country and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the AU, as well as between the two regional organisations. VNA/VNS