The Pan Afrikanist Watchman

President of Russia Vladimir Putin held talks at the Kremlin with President of the Central African Republic Faustin-Archange Touadera, who is in Russia on an official visit (January 16, 2025)

In his welcome remarks, Vladimir Putin said:

“This year, we will mark the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our countries. At the beginning of our meeting, I would like to thank you for your personal attention to the development of our interstate ties. You attended both Russia-Africa summits in 2019 and 2023.

“I believe that all the events we have planned together with our African colleagues in the sphere of Russia’s interaction with the African continent as a whole will continue to develop with our support.

“I am also grateful to you for attending the first Forum of Supporters of the Struggle Against Modern Practices of Neocolonialism in Moscow.

“We are strengthening the legal framework of our interaction. Several documents have already been signed between our ministries and agencies, and several other documents, which are to be signed during this visit, will create a solid legal basis for our cooperation.

“As for trade and economic ties, the figures are not large so far, but I would like to mention a positive trend: our trade has increased nearly eight-fold over the past year. It is a good result.

“Russia Helps If necessary, we are ready to continue providing humanitarian aid, just as we are doing now, as you know. This mostly concerns food supplies, primarily wheat. We are ready to continue our cooperation in this sphere.

“I would like to mention our cooperation in security. We are committed to continuing our activities in this sphere. We will talk about our future cooperation in the expanded format, and later also during our one-on-one meeting.

“Of course, we also attach great importance to our cooperation on the international stage, in particular, at the UN.”