KIGALI - Ambassador Paul Jansen, the Belgian Envoy to the East African Community (EAC), has hailed the EAC Partner States for holding peaceful elections in recent months, which he described as a sign of "democratic maturity of the region”.

He made the remarks recently while presenting his credentials to Amb. Juma Mwapachu, the bloc’s Secretary General in Arusha, Tanzania.

In a statement released by the EAC secretariat, Jansen said that the Belgian Government accredited him because it views the regional bloc as an important player, especially with regard to ensuring peace and security in the region.
He commended the progress the EAC has made, singling out the commencement of the Common Market.

"The letter signed by the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Steven Vanackere, stated that H.E. Amb. Jansen had been designated Permanent Representative of Belgium to EAC,” the statement reads.
Mwapachu noted that Belgium has an intimate knowledge of the region and added that the EAC is looking forward to scaling up cooperation with the country.

He further implored Belgium to provide support to the bloc beyond the assistance provided as part of the EAC Partnership Fund, of which she is a member.
"Belgium could play a crucial role in helping to fully integrate Burundi into the EAC,” the Secretary General specifically noted.

Jansen joins three other envoys nominated recently by their countries as representatives to the EAC; they are France, Canada and India.

The accreditation of the four envoys brings to ten the number of special country representatives to the EAC. USA, Denmark, Turkey, Democratic Republic of Congo, Netherlands and Japan are the other countries that have nominated Ambassadors to the Community.

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