The new Congolese president, Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, arrived in Brussels on his first official visit to Europe since taking office on 24 January. Tshisekedi is the first president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to visit Belgium – its former colonial ruler – since 2007. 

The visit comes after years of tension between Belgium and the DRC under former president Joseph Kabila and marks a break with the position of his predecessor. Towards the end of 2017, part of Belgium's "development cooperation" with the DRC was suspended in response to the crackdown on civilian protests by the Congolese government. In 2018, the Belgian consulate general in the DRC was closed at the request of Kinshasa, the political capital.  

Since then, the consulate has reopened and Belgium now has a new ambassador for the DRC. Military cooperation resumed in May and the European Visa Center has also reopened – all positive moves Tshisekedi will hope to build on, before travelling to New York for the United Nations General Assembly on 24 September. 

Tshisekedi was greeted by Didier Reynders, Belgium's foreign minister, at Melsbroek military airport, before attending a working dinner in Brussels with Prime Minister Charles Michel. His visit will include meetings with King Philippe, key ministers of the federal government and business federations. He is also expected to meet EU officials, including outgoing Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. 

In a statement, Belgium's foreign office said: "The official visit confirms the revitalization of the very close relationship between the DRC and Belgium and offers the opportunity to widen and intensify the bilateral cooperation. The exchanges on the Congolese government's expectations and projects will allow both countries to identify the areas in which Belgium could support the efforts for reforms and changes announced by the Congolese government for the benefit of the population."