Belgium's King Philippe expressed his "deepest regrets" on Tuesday for his country's colonial rule over what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), EDNews.net reports citing Deutsche Welle.
It is the first time a reigning Belgian monarch has conveyed regrets for the violence carried out during its colonial past.
"I want to express my deepest regrets for these wounds of the past whose pain is reawakened today by the discrimination still present in our societies," Philippe wrote in a letter to DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, to mark the country's 60th anniversary of independence. Those regrets, he said, related to the "acts of violence and cruelty" and the "suffering and humiliation" inflicted on Belgian Congo.
Philippe was hopeful of a brighter future between the two countries, one free of discrimination.
"To further strengthen our ties and develop an even more fruitful friendship, we must be able to talk to each other about our long common history in all truth and serenity," Philippe said.