ISTANBUL
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that his country is “pleased” with restoration and development of ties with Africa.
“Russia’s relations with Africa are developing very intensively, as evidenced by the results of the Russia-Africa summit this summer in St. Petersburg. We are very pleased that our relations with the African continent are being restored and developed,” Putin said after a meeting with his counterpart from Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in Moscow.
Putin expressed the need to focus on the development of trade and economic ties between Moscow and Malabo, saying that the interest of Russian companies working in Africa in general and Equatorial Guinea is high.
The Russian president further said he and his Equatorial Guinean counterpart have “many overlapping mutual interests,” indicating opportunities for developing the potential in their relations with Moscow, especially with regards to mining.
“We also talked about security issues, as I already said, about relations with the countries of the region. We agreed on what and how we will do further in this area. Regarding trade and economic relations, we agreed to give the floor to our colleagues who are present here today,” Putin added.
For his part, Nguema Mbasogo said that Russia is a traditional and strategic partner of Equatorial Guinea and the African continent, further expressing that Moscow contributed and fought for the independence of African states.
“Clearly, Africa is being heavily exploited at the moment. Africa needs to develop. More than a century has passed since Africa achieved independence, but we are still underdeveloped economically. Not because Africa cannot develop, but because our natural resources are being used – we are being exploited. And this hinders Africa’s development,” he said.
Nguema Mbasogo thanked Russia for its decision to reopen its embassy in Equatorial Guinea, defining it as a “very important” decision that will lead to political developments not only in his country but also in Central Africa.
“I believe that Russia, as a key partner of Africa, must monitor the security of African countries so that they continue to fight against their weak level of development,” he added.
