Belgian PM's DRC visit spans diplomacy, social service, devt cooperation

The Democratic Republic of Congo is looking to bolster ties with Belgium. The Belgian Prime Minister met with Congolese president Felix Tshisekedi to discuss issues of mutual interest.

PM Sophie Wilmes wrote on Twitter when she touched down earlier this week: “The last mission led by a Belgian Prime Minister dates back ten years. Belgium wants to strengthen ties with the DRC in a dynamic of friendship and partnership.”

“The Belgian-Congolese partnership can develop in several sectors. The partnership and cooperation can develop at a military level, at the economic level, in terms of security and intelligence as well and not forget in development cooperation within the justice system.

“Belgium wants to be a partner. A partner in an honest and caring relationship. A partner on equal footing where there is success for both our countries,” she said at the meeting.

The PM is leading a political and diplomatic mission for a three-day visit during which she will have sessions with leaders of the business community and some NGOs.

The meeting with President Tshisekedi was only one of her numerous engagements in the former Belgian colony. She visited the National Institute for Biomedical Research which is known for its work on sleeping sickness.

She also visited a famous hospital in the capital Kinshasa and joined the inauguration of a new consulate in Lubumbashi, capital of the Katanga Province.

In town of Karavia, she visited a power facility that allows 20,000 inhabitants have access to electricity with Belgian support. “Support that allowed better connectivity and network stability. Another concrete example of our country’s action in the DRC,” she wrote on Twitter.