from ISSOUF TRAORE in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso Bureau
OUAGADOUGOU, (CAJ News) – RUSSIA has reopened its embassy in Burkina Faso following 31 years of absenteeism in the former French colony.
The return of Moscow’s diplomatic mission to Ouagadougou follows new geopolitical developments in which many Francophone African states are increasingly ditching Paris’ colonial mentality derived from exploitative relations.
The diplomatic ceremony was attended by Burkina Faso Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela, Foreign Affairs Minister Karamoko Jean Marie Traore, Russian Ambassador to Ivory Coast Alexei Saltykov and other diplomatic missions in the West African nation.
The Russian envoy for Cote d’Ivoire attended the ceremony since the Burkina Faso embassy had initially closed and relocated from Ouagadougou to Yamoussoukro sometime in 1992.
“Despite our physical absence here (Burkina Faso), bilateral cooperation in the political and economic fields have never ceased,” Saltykov said.
On left is Burkinabé President Ibrahim Traoré with his Russian counterpart president Vladimir Putin
Reacting to the Russian diplomat, Burkinabè foreign minister Traoré said: “This resumption of activities of the resident embassy of the Russian Federation in Ouagadougou recognizes the excellence of the relations between our two States in recent years, and reflects the solidity of the bonds of friendship which unite the Russian and Burkinabe people.”
Russia also promised to donate a whopping 25,000 tons of wheat to avert the humanitarian crisis in the country.
The Russian government promised to assist Burkina Faso tackle terrorism by providing security and military training.
– CAJ News