Russia and Nigeria strengthening ties – Lavrov
Russia and Nigeria have discussed opportunities to enhance cooperation in energy and agriculture, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced during a press conference on Wednesday.
Lavrov noted that Russian-Nigerian ties continue to develop following talks with Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar.
“This concerns all spheres of our relations, primarily the trade and economic component. Among the most promising directions, we have identified cooperation in energy, infrastructure construction, agriculture, healthcare, and education,” Lavrov said.
He added that the parties agreed to increase attention to these spheres, to “intensify the work of the intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, and scientific-technical cooperation and utilize the opportunities of the Russia-Nigeria Business Council.” the diplomat also pointed out that Abuja is “a priority partner” on the African continent for Moscow.
Furthermore, Lavrov emphasized that Russia will continue to assist African countries in reinforcing their security stating that they “will continue to make a constructive contribution to the efforts of Africans and the global community as a whole in stabilizing the situation in the Sahel-Saharan region.”
Nigeria Foreign Minister Tuggar arrived in Russia on Tuesday and will spend three days in Moscow. He stated that Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu, also plans to visit Russia in the near future, and Abuja “will participate at both ministerial and presidential levels in all future meetings.”
Earlier, Lavrov said that Moscow will soon send out invitations for the meeting of foreign ministers planned for the autumn in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
A Nigerian delegation also visited Russia in July 2023 for the second Russia-Africa summit, held in St. Petersburg.
