By Lee Kap-soo

President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is in New York for the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held a summit on Sept. 18 with Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye for the first time since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1991.
 

During the meeting, President Yoon requested Burundi's support for the 2030 Busan World Expo and exchanged views on the development of bilateral relations.

President Yoon expressed his appreciation for the new era of bilateral relations based on the recent active high-level exchanges between the two countries and the first Korea-Burundi summit in 32 years of diplomatic relations. 

He called for expanding cooperation in areas such as agriculture and health, and explained his government's efforts to expand economic cooperation with the entire African continent, including Burundi, and asked for President Ndayishimiye's interest and support. 

Yoon also requested President Ndayishimiye's interest in and participation in the Korea-Africa Summit, which will be held for the first time in Korea next year.

President Ndayishimiye appreciated the Korean government's willingness and efforts to strengthen ties with Africa, and expressed his willingness to actively cooperate with the Korean government as Vice Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and Chairperson of the East African Community (EAC). 

He also expressed his appreciation for Korea's support to improve Burundi's agricultural and pastoral productivity and healthcare services, and expressed his hope for continued support and cooperation in the future. 

President Yoon expressed hope that the cooperation between the two countries will contribute to the implementation of Burundi's long-term national development plan, and called for closer communication in the future.

On the occasion of the meeting, the two leaders agreed to continue to identify cooperative projects that will benefit both economies.