Putin holds talks with another African leader
Russian President Vladimir Putin has held talks with Guinea-Bissau’s leader, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, on expanding trade and investment, and boosting humanitarian cooperation, the Kremlin has said.
The phone conversation on Thursday followed on from agreements reached between the two leaders when the West African nation’s president visited Moscow last May.
“The presidents agreed to continue personal communication,” the Kremlin statement said.
The Bissau-Guinean president wrote on X: “I just had a long telephone conversation with my counterpart, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. Our discussions focused mainly on the international geopolitical situation and on strengthening bilateral relations between our two countries.”
Moscow and Bissau have maintained diplomatic relations for more than half a century, since 1974, when the former Soviet Union assisted the African state in gaining independence from Portugal.
During Embalo’s visit to Moscow last year, Putin described Russia and Guinea-Bissau as “good allies” and expressed hope that relations will remain positive. He said both countries have demonstrated solidarity when dealing with urgent issues, and hold similar views on the emergence of a multipolar world order and security concerns.
Putin announced plans to expand his government’s scholarship program for more students from Guinea-Bissau to study in Russia. In response, Embalo assured his Russian counterpart that Guinea-Bissau will remain a “reliable partner” for Moscow.
President Embalo also requested that soldiers from his country receive training at the Russian University of Special Forces in Chechnya during his May visit, when he met with the republic’s leader, Ramzan Kadyrov.
The latest exchange between Putin and Embalo comes just days after the Russian leader spoke by phone with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. During the talks on Tuesday, Putin commended Sisi for his role in negotiating a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
