Russian-African relations are and will continue to be strategic in their nature – especially when it comes to those African countries that truly wish to strengthen and develop ties with Russia. The latest visit to Russia of the President of Guinea-Bissau is a testament to this.
Developing cooperation
The President of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embalo flew to Russia on yet another state visit. During this visit, the head of Guinea-Bissau laid a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier and saluted the soldiers of the Presidential Regiment. After that, he was received in the Kremlin by Russian President Vladimir Putin, where negotiations between the two heads of state began.
There are actually quite a few areas for joint cooperation. There are interesting prospects for the development of trade and economic ties, especially considering the currently very low trade turnover between Russia and Guinea-Bissau. This is despite the fact, as the Russian President noted, that last year the trade turnover between Russia and African countries continued to grow and increased by 10%. Thus, Moscow and Bissau have something to work on. Among other things, this applies to deposits of bauxite, phosphates, oil and gas, which may well be developed together.
It is also worth noting cooperation in fishery, given that Guinea-Bissau has rich fish stocks. In addition to trade and economics, another important area is education. More than 5,000 citizens of Guinea-Bissau have been educated in civilian specialties and more than 3,000 in military ones in Russian and Soviet universities. In the recent past, it was also decided to increase the annual quota for students from Guinea-Bissau to study in Russia.
Traditionally important is, also, cooperation in the field of defence and security. As part of his visit to Russia last year, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, in addition to Moscow, also visited the Chechen Republic, where he was received by the head of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov. During this visit, an agreement was reached on Guinea-Bissau soldiers receiving military training at the base of the Russian Special Forces University, which is located in Chechnya.
Prospects for strengthening bilateral relations
It is also worth noting a few more important points: Vladimir Putin wished good luck to Umaro Sissoco Embaló in the upcoming presidential elections and also expressed hopes that the citizens of Guinea-Bissau would trust the current president, and he would be able to continue to maintain the good relations that have developed between Russia and his country. Indeed, Sissoco Embalo’s presidential mandate is coming to an end, and it is notable that the current head of state has returned to Russia, this time before the official end of his mandate and before the upcoming presidential elections, emphasising once again the special importance of relations with the Russian Federation.
The positions of Moscow and Bissau on most topical issues of world and African politics are close or coincide, including the formation of a multipolar world order with the central coordinating role of the United Nations, countering international terrorism and other global threats of our time. Constructive cooperation is underway at the UN and in other multilateral formats.
Guinea-Bissau is counting on deeper cooperation with BRICS, and it also interested in settlements in national currencies when trading with Russia.
Of course, it is impossible not to mention the regional and continental factors. All this is happening at a time when Russia’s position on the African continent, and in West Africa particularly, is not only stable, but continues to grow steadily (this is particularly in regard to the allies in the Confederation of Sahel States, namely Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger).
Russian influence in the region will also gain momentum. Guinea-Bissau has access to the Atlantic Ocean, which, by the way, in addition to bilateral relations with Moscow, may also be of interest to the Sahel states, which are Russia’s allies. On the one hand, and despite its common membership in West Africa, Guinea-Bissau does not share borders with Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, countries with no access to the sea. But given all the current and upcoming processes inherent in a multipolar world, and where Africa is called upon to play a key role, the issue is certainly quite solvable. We shall watch and see.
Mikhail Gamandiy-Egorov, entrepreneur, political observer, and expert on Africa and the Middle East
