Belga Share – “Keep talking, even if we disagree,” says Belgian minister after meetings in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso has distanced itself from much of Europe following the 2022 coup d’état. France, the historical partner, was expelled from the country, and many other European nations drew their own conclusions. Currently, only four European embassies remain, including Belgium’s.

Prévot was received in Ouagadougou, the capital, on Thursday with great honours. However, he does not feel this legitimises the regime, which has dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution. “Coming here does not mean we are sweeping everything under the carpet,” he said. “I have pointed out where we disagree. But it is not for Europeans to impose what is right or wrong. When you force issues, lines are drawn. They no longer see Europe as a partner and other great powers take our place.”

In the case of Burkina Faso, Russia is the new factor to consider. “We are now focusing on thematic alliances,” said Foreign minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré on Thursday. “We are indeed working militarily with Russia. We do not want to turn our backs on Europe, but many countries have decided to cut their diplomatic ties themselves.” “We can hardly blame them for that military cooperation when they request licences for Western weapon systems, which are repeatedly denied,” Prévot responded.

The minister also visits various projects in the Sahel supported by Belgian development cooperation. He emphasises that Belgium will never cut back on humanitarian aid, especially now that the United States is largely withdrawing from that domain.

“It is true that this government has saved 25 per cent on development aid, but not a single euro on humanitarian aid,” he said during a visit to a hospital for young mothers in the city of Kaya. “In the coming weeks, I will defend the remaining 75 per cent of development aid during the budget negotiations. But at the start of negotiations, all budgets are open for discussion.”

He stresses that development aid is important for European security. “Through projects providing sufficient food and family assistance, we improve living conditions so that people are not tempted by jihadism,” the minister concluded.

The initial translation of this content was generated by AI. All facts, context, and language have subsequently been verified and validated by a human editorial team.
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