APA – Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) – Burkinabe Foreign Affairs minister, Olivia Rouamba has claimed that “Russia is a safe partner” for her country.
The head of Burkina Faso’s diplomacy was speaking during an audience she granted to the Russian ambassador to Ouagadougou, Alexey Saltykov on Monday.
She said “significant progress” had been made between Ouagadougou and Moscow and welcomed what she called Russia’s clear support.
“We appreciate the presence of the Russian Federation, which is a reliable partner,” she said.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Alexey Saltykov reaffirmed his country’s desire to intensify cooperation with the “land of upright men” in the fields of security, agriculture, culture, trade, scientific research and vocational training by increasing the number of scholarships.
The two parties intend to strengthen the instruments of cooperation at the second Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum scheduled for July in St Petersburg, the Foreign Ministry added.
Since September 2022, Ouagadougou and Moscow have grown considerably closer, against the backdrop of a diplomatic row between Burkina Faso and former colonial power France.
Several Burkinabe officials, including Prime Minister Apollinaire de Tambéla and the president of the transitional parliament, Dr Ousmane Bougouma were in Moscow as part of the cooperation between the two countries.
DS/ap/lb/as/APA