President Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi on Tuesday, March 15, received a message from President Paul Kagame.

According to Ntare Rushatsi House, Burundi’s State House, this was as the Burundian President received a high-level Rwandan delegation led by Minister of Defence Maj Gen Albert Murasira, in the capital, Gitega.

Murasira was carrying President Kagame’s message.

The two neighbouring countries are working to restore good bilateral ties.

Last September, Rwanda’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr Vincent Biruta, met with his Burundian counterpart, Amb Albert Shingiro, on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States.

They "exchanged on matters of bilateral relations between our two countries, and the road to normalisation,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Twitter.

Relations between Rwanda and Burundi have been frosty for the better part of the last six years but both sides recently moved to improve ties with a series of high-level bilateral meetings between political as well as military and security officials.

In July, Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente led a Rwandan delegation to Burundi for the country’s 59th Independence Day celebrations. While in Bujumbura, at the time, Ngirente reiterated Rwanda’s commitment to restore ties with Burundi.

Heads of military intelligence from both sides held talks on cross-border security cooperation.

As part of continued effort to help improve relations, Rwanda handed over to Burundi 19 combatants earlier arrested after crossing into Rwanda.