Press release on the death of President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza

On June 8, President of the Republic of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza died of heart failure.

Mr Nkurunziza was a prominent statesman, enjoying well-deserved respect both domestically and abroad. During his tenure as head of state, he made a significant contribution to Burundi’s advancement along the path of stable political and socioeconomic development, and helped maintain peace and security on the African continent.

Mr Nkurunziza had truly friendly feelings towards our country, was a consistent supporter of rapprochement between Russia and Burundi, and did a lot to expand mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation.

We hope that the new leadership of the Republic of Burundi will continue Mr Nkurunziza’s policy to further develop Russian-Burundian friendship and fruitful partnership, as well as to strengthen domestic political stability and the national economy.

We express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr Nkurunziza, the leadership of Burundi and the Burundian people.