Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has met with his Congo counterpart, Jean-Claude Gakosso, who arrived in Moscow on Monday, less than a month after Lavrov’s visit to Brazzaville.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the ministers discussed the enhancement of bilateral relations and the activities of the joint intergovernmental commission, which is scheduled to convene in September. “The parties stressed the importance of the meeting of the joint Russian-Congolese intergovernmental commission on economic, scientific, technical and trade cooperation,” the ministry said.
During the meeting, the parties also addressed the expansion of mutually beneficial economic partnerships, the implementation of joint projects in energy, the development of infrastructure facilities, and the exploration of mineral reserves in the Republic of Congo.
On June 4, Sergey Lavrov visited Brazzaville as a part of a tour of Africa as Moscow seeks to strengthen relations with countries on the continent. He began his trip in Guinea on June 3, before moving onto the Republic of the Congo, Burkina Faso, and finally Chad on June 5.
Meanwhile, President of the Republic of Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso is expected to arrive in Moscow for a visit on Tuesday. “The president’s trip will last from June 25 to 29,” the Congolese Embassy in Moscow told TASS. Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with the leader of the Republic of Congo on Thursday, according to Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov.