(Ecofin Agency) - Burundi says it will resume cooperation with the European Union, after a nearly five-year suspension. President Evariste Ndayishimiye met last Dec 7 with EU Ambassador to Bujumbura Claude Bochu to discuss the deal.

They agreed to “break free from the past and look to the future by rebuilding their relationship,” an official Presidency statement said. Following the very controversial reelection of the former Head of State Pierre Nkurunziza in 2015, EU decided on March 2016 to suspend its direct aid to Burundi, mainly budget support. However the Union maintains its humanitarian aid to the country, while financing projects that directly benefit the population without government intervention.

The arrival in power of President Ndayishimiye was seen by many international organizations such as the EU as a sign of the country's opening up and a certain break from the former president's methods.

According to the Burundian authorities, President Evariste Ndayishimiye's appeasing speech and his policy of openness, which constitute a bedrock for the resumption of good cooperation between the European Union and Burundi in a mutually beneficial partnership dynamic were welcomed by the EU.

It should be noted that while no deadline has yet been announced, negotiations seem to be moving towards a future lifting of the institution's sanctions on the East African country. "The moment is well chosen given the situation of peace and security which prevails in the country, the massive return of the refugees, good relations with Rwanda, the withdrawal of Burundi from the political agenda of the UN Security Council,” reads the statement.

Before the suspension of its aid, the EU contributed 20% to Burundi's national budget and is considered the country's main donor.

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou