Today, the Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo, met the Foreign Minister of Burundi, Edouard Bizimana, at the Magistral Villa in Rome.

One month after the meeting in New York at the United Nations General Assembly, and following the recent establishment of diplomatic relations, the Grand Chancellor confirmed to Minister Bizimana the desire to initiate humanitarian cooperation in Burundi. The two parties undertook to proceed rapidly with the exchange of ambassadors.

During the meeting, an exchange of views took place on the prospects of the African continent, in particular the Great Lakes region.

Burundi is the 39th African country out of the 54 member states of the African Union with which the Order of Malta has established diplomatic relations.