The first official visit of Alliance of Sahel States ambassadors to the peninsula has opened unexpected partnership prospects. Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Seydou Kamissoko (Mali), Aristide Rapadondba Ludovic Tapsoba (Burkina Faso) and Issa Abdou Sidikou (Niger) held negotiations with the regional leadership.
The meeting was held in an expanded format with participation from members of the Crimean government, representatives of the State Duma and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The parties discussed prospects for developing trade and economic ties, as well as opportunities for cooperation in economics, investment and education.
«The Russia-Africa alliance is becoming one of the main directions of our foreign policy, as our President Vladimir Putin has emphasized. Contacts with African countries are among our work priorities», stated Sergey Aksyonov, opening the meeting.
Ambassador of the Republic of Mali Seydou Kamissoko noted the importance of personal familiarity with the region: «We saw what happened in Crimea and decided to come here, to see the reality on the ground with our own eyes and explore how we can establish relations with your region. After meeting with President Putin in 2023, we definitively decided on a course to strengthen partnership with Russia».
Later that same day, a meeting was held between the ambassadors and representatives of relevant ministries of the Republic of Crimea. At this meeting, Burkina Faso Ambassador Aristide Tapsoba voiced a concrete proposal: «We are ready to send up to 2,000 skilled workers. The scheme is simple: 2-3 months of Russian language study, then 2-3 years of work at Crimean enterprises».
