Russian Foreign Minister begins tour of Africa to Guinea, Congo
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in Guinea on his latest tour of West Africa.
Moscow has been enjoying a warm relationship with the region where coups and growing discontent with traditional allies like France and the United States have become widespread.
In Guinea, Lavrov was received by the country’s foreign minister, Morissanda Kouyaté.
The government of the West African country said in a statement that the meeting with Lavrov was to discuss areas of mutual cooperation, without giving further details.
He would depart Guinea for Congo to meet President Denis Sassou N’Guesso.
The top Russian official has visited the African continent several times in the past couple of years as Russia seeks support or neutrality amid Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Lavrov paid a visit to Mali early last year and vowed military help.
He had visited South Africa, which is seen as the most significant of numerous African states to remain neutral in the Ukraine conflict and returned to attend a BRICS bloc summit.
He also toured Kenya and later North Africa as Russia aims to strengthen ties in the vacuum left by Western nations’ declining influence.
