ST. PETERSBURG, July 28. /TASS/. The Republic of Burundi is set to develop relations with Russia as it expects the Russia-Africa Summit to yield comprehensive solutions, said the landlocked East African nation’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye.

In an interview with TASS First Deputy Director-General Mikhail Gusman, Ndayishimiye said: "Burundi has been cooperating for decades with Russia. I am confident that we will continue to develop relations between our countries and between Russia and the African continent in general." "This summit will enable us to find comprehensive solutions. This is why I look forward to its results and hope that it will bring us positive results," he added.

The leader of Burundi said he was happy to participate in the Russia-Africa Summit as he described the event as "very important" for his counterparts and himself.

"We are entering a new period and we are facing global challenges, including climate change, diseases, pandemics and international terrorism. So, it is high time we changed the principles of our work, as we should develop our cooperation and join efforts globally," Ndayishimiye emphasized.

According to him, "there used to be a bipolar world order," but the world has been progressing toward multipolarity. "Therefore, we are happy that a frank dialogue has been maintained between developed nations and developing countries, and it’s an honor for me to take part in the Russia-Africa Summit," he concluded.

The second Russia-Africa Summit is taking place at St. Petersburg’s Expoforum on July 27-28, in parallel with an economic and humanitarian forum. Similar to the first such summit in 2019, the event is being held under the rubric "For Peace, Security and Development." The event is being organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the event’s official information partner and photo hosting agency.