Eritrea and Russia to Boost Trade and Political Ties

Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh (L) with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov

Eritrea and Russia to Boost Trade and Political Ties


In a joint press conference on Monday, Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, announced to boost development of trade and economic ties between Eritrea and Russia.

"Russian companies are interested in implementing a number of investment projects in Eritrea. Our partners have confirmed that they are ready to create favorable conditions for Russian business." Said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Stressing the importance of peace and security in the region, the two sides signed an agreement to enhance bilateral cooperation and regional coordination.

"We signed the first in the history of bilateral relations plan consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Russia and Eritrea, which will further deepen our political interaction." Said Sergey.

Sergey said they also addressed key issues of international and regional affairs, and agreed to continue to work closely in the UN and other international markets.

"We are convinced that all issues relating to Africa must be addressed primarily by Africans themselves based on the balance of interests of international law with the support of the international community." Sergey added.

Will the illegal sanctions against Eritrea be lifted soon?

Russia played a key role in helping water-down the illegal sanctions against Eritrea. It has also been an outspoken critic of the UN Somalia Eritrea Monitoring Group, going as far as accusing it of being biased towards Eritrea.

"Russia objects to the publication of the (Eritrea) report due to the biased and groundless conclusions and recommendations contained in it.” Said Vitaly Churkin, the Russian Ambassador to the U.N., after reading the monitoring group's report on Eritrea in July of 2013.

With veto-wielding Russia seeking to build closer economic and political ties with Eritrea, many observers see this as a strong sign that the sanctions against Eritrea will be lifted sooner rather than later.

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