BUJUMBURA, October 8 (ABP) – The National Assembly met in a plenary session on Monday, October 6, 2025, at the hemicycle of Kigobe, chaired by Gélase Ndabirabe, to analyze and adopt the draft law ratifying by the Republic of Burundi and the government of the Republic of Serbia. This draft law concerns the agreement on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, official, and service passports signed on March 12, 2025, in Belgrade, and the draft law ratifying the agreement between the Burundian government and the Serbian government in the field of education, also signed on March 12, 2025, in Belgrade.
The minister of foreign affairs, regional integration, and development cooperation, Edouard Bizimana, in his presentation, recalled that relations between Burundi and Serbia date back a long time, since 1962.
These two countries want to strengthen their relations to facilitate economic exchanges and the integration of the Burundian population into global flows to finally achieve the country’s vision: an emerging country by 2040 and a developed country by 2060.
On education, Bizimana emphasized the quality education that Serbia provides to Burundian scholarship recipients, noting that 15 scholarship holders are already in Serbia. This visa exemption agreement was suspended on October 24, 2022, for ordinary passport holders following pressure from European countries that felt overwhelmed by the many Burundians migrating illegally to these countries via Serbia.
Regarding those who go to Serbia and do not return to the country, he proposed that measures be put in place to ensure that those who go there are properly supervised and followed up to return to the country. He also asked that returnees not come with the hope of all finding employment in the country but come with specific skills and share them with others to help advance the country.
The added value of those already there is that they are helping to advance their families, Bizimana added. Regarding the number of those who have used Serbia as a route to enter European countries and elsewhere, the number is not yet known.
Note that out of 106 deputies, 12 gave proxies and 94 were present. The three draft laws were adopted unanimously.