Egypt boosts ties with Burundi — with eye on Turkey
Egypt seeks to strengthen its ties with Burundi and the Nile Basin countries in a bid to curb Turkey’s expansion in East Africa, to protect its national security from any threats.
CAIRO — As a foreign policy priority for Cairo, Egypt seeks to strengthen its ties with Burundi and the Nile Basin countries, to limit Turkey’s expansion in East Africa and protect its national security from any threats. Egypt and Burundi share a historical relationship as Nile Basin countries.
Burundian Foreign Affairs Minister Albert Shingiro hosted Egyptian Ambassador to Burundi Yasser Al-Atwi on Feb. 13 in the capital, Bujumbura. During the meeting, the two diplomats discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties between their countries.
In the same week, on Feb. 18, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received a phone call from his Burundian counterpart. The conversation touched on the bilateral relations, ways to strengthen them and coordination to hold a joint committee in the coming period.
These developments, experts and observers told Al-Monitor, can also be seen as part of Egypt's efforts to block Turkey’s influence in East Africa.
