The West African nation’s government and a Russian diplomat said in a statement on Thursday that the embassy had been reopened after it was closed in 1992....CONTINUE READING
The Russia authorities have reopened its embassy in Burkina Faso, nearly 32 years after the West African nation fell out with the World Power.
The West African nation’s government and a Russian diplomat said in a statement on Thursday that the embassy had been reopened after it was closed in 1992.
The Russian ambassador to Ivory Coast, Alexei Saltykov, said Russian President Vladimir Putin would name the new envoy, according to Moscow Times.
The Burkinabe foreign ministry confirmed in a statement that “Russia formally reopened its embassy this Thursday in Ouagadougou.”
Alexei Saltykov asserted that he would head the mission in Burkina Faso until the new ambassador was named and described Burkina Faso as “an old partner with whom we have solid and friendly ties. Despite our physical absence here, bilateral cooperation in the political and economic fields have never ceased,” he said.
According to the report, Burkina Faso suffered two military coups last year, both triggered in part by discontent at failures to stem a raging jihadist insurgency.
Since coming to power in September 2022, the ruling junta has distanced itself from France, its historic partner, and former colonial power, and moved closer to Russia.
In October, Burkina Faso signed a deal with Russia for the construction of a nuclear power plant to increase the energy supply to the Sahel country where less than a quarter of the population has access to electricity.
