(Conakry) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Guinea on Monday where he is beginning a new African tour, the Guinean and Russian foreign ministries said.
This is the first visit to this country by the head of Russian diplomacy since 2013, according to the Russian diplomacy website.
During the night from Sunday to Monday, the head of Russian diplomacy was welcomed at Conakry international airport by his Guinean counterpart Morissada Kouyaté.
The Russian diplomat will be received in audience on Monday by the head of the junta who took charge of this country after a coup d’état in 2021, General Mamadi Doumbouya, indicated the Guinean Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the Tass agency, Mr. Lavrov is to meet “political leaders” of this coastal West African country rich in natural resources, as part of this first stage of an African “tour”.
The state agency did not specify what other stops would be on this tour. According to afrinz.ru, which presents itself as a “Russian press agency on events on the African continent”, Mr. Lavrov is also expected in Chad on Wednesday, “at the head of a large delegation”.
The same article also mentions a possible stopover in Burkina Faso, without giving a date.
In recent years, Russia has continued to strengthen its positions on the African continent.
Vladimir Putin has invited African leaders for a summit in St. Petersburg in July 2023. A meeting of African foreign ministers around Mr. Lavrov is planned this fall in Russia, in Sochi (a city on the Black Sea) , on a date not yet specified.