The DRC’s ambassador to Qatar said that there are ‘a couple’ of initiatives in the works that she is excited to eventually make public.

On Tuesday, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) ambassador to Qatar and the General Manager of the Katara Cultural Village Foundation held a meeting to discuss strengthening cultural ties.

During her visit to Katara, Ambassador Valérie Lusamba Kabeya met Khalid Ibrahim Al Sulaiti to discuss upcoming intercultural projects.

“We had a lot of exchange around how to bridge the two cultures, from the DRC and Qatar,” the Congolese ambassador said.

“We have a couple of initiatives in pipes (sic) and we’re very excited about it, and we look forward to sharing with the public what is in the works,” she added.

This follows last month’s news from Qatar Airways that the DRC’s capital was added to its list of direct flight destinations.

In a news release, the national carrier said that flights from Doha to Kinshasa will take off for the first time starting from June 1.

“It is with great pleasure that we announce the first [Qatar Airways] flight to Kinshasa on June 1st, 2024. The DRC, with its vast expanse, has enormous potential to expand its national and international connectivity thanks to its agreements.,” Ambassador Kabeya said in April.

In March, during the state visit to Qatar by the DRC’s President Félix Tshisekedi, Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula expressed his keenness for the Qatari carrier to include Kinshasa as part of its expansive travel routes.

“As for the agreement that we signed to grant traffic rights to Qatar Airways, we wished that this agreement would already be in application by June 2024 at the latest,” the Congolese diplomat said, according to the Congolese outlet Digital Congo.

In September 2023, Congo Airways was forced to temporarily suspend domestic operations to “improve the efficiency of the services of the national company.”

In February, Africa Airspace announced a resurge of operations from the Congolese carrier, with a four-month lease agreement with Boeing revitalising Congo Airways.