Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived on Monday in Guinea, his ministry said, marking his first trip to the West African country since 2013.
Moscow, which has seen its relations with the West plummet since invading Ukraine in February 2022, has in recent years sought to boost its influence in Africa.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced Monday’s visit on Telegram with a photo of Lavrov at Conakry airport but did not provide further details on the trip.
The state-run TASS news agency reported that Guinea would be part of a larger tour of African countries but did not specify what other nations on the continent Lavrov plannet to visit.
Russian media outlets reported that the foreign minister may also travel to Chad and Burkina Faso during the tour.
In July, Russian President Vladimir Putin invited African leaders to a summit in St. Petersburg where he said they agreed to promote a multipolar world order and to fight neocolonialism.
Putin hailed the “commitment of all our states to the formation of a just and democratic multipolar world order” during a statement to the media following the summit.
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