African state confirms return of Russian embassy
Niger has confirmed its intention to host a Russian embassy for the first time in over three decades, the West African country’s foreign minister, Bakari Yaou Sangare, announced on Thursday.
The statement came during a joint press conference in Moscow following talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his counterparts from Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
Sangare stated that Niger is currently searching for a suitable facility to house the new Russian diplomatic mission, adding that Niamey hopes Moscow will soon nominate an ambassador. “All necessary decisions have been made,” the minister said.
“We had to close our embassy [in Russia] in the 1990s, and later realized that this was a mistake,” he remarked.
Lavrov confirmed that both nations are on track to restore reciprocal diplomatic representation. “In the very near future, with your help, we will complete all the organizational work for the return of our embassy. We will definitely do this in 2025,” the Russian foreign minister said.
Niger’s top diplomat added that the country’s ambassador is already stationed in Moscow. At present, Russia’s ambassador to Mali is also accredited to Niger.
Russia previously operated an embassy in Niger, but it was shuttered in 1992 due to financial constraints. Niger’s diplomatic mission in Moscow was likewise closed three years later.
In December 2023, Moscow reopened its embassy in Burkina Faso after more than 30 years of closure. The same year, a new mission was launched in Equatorial Guinea.
Earlier this year, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that Moscow intends to establish new embassies in several African nations, including Niger, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan. She said the relevant government decrees had been signed in late December, with formal openings expected in the near future. In March, the Comoros also approved the opening of a Russian embassy in its capital, Moroni.
Beyond diplomatic re-engagement, Sangare highlighted deepening cooperation between the two countries in other areas. Speaking to RIA Novosti on Thursday, the minister revealed that talks between Nigerien authorities and Russia’s state nuclear agency, Rosatom, on natural resource development had reached “an advanced stage.”
In November, Agence Nigerienne de Presse reported that Niger’s authorities and Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, had signed an agreement in Niamey for the acquisition a communications satellite, an Earth observation satellite, and a radar satellite for defense and security purposes.
