Russia and Guinea-Bissau have "good foundations and good opportunities" for the development of trade and economic relations, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed at a meeting with his Bisayan counterpart Umaru Sisoku Embalo, who arrived in Moscow on February 26 on a state visit. The African leader noted that Russia and Guinea-Bissau are "reliable partners" and thanked them for increasing quotas for students studying at Russian civilian and military universities. The expert community believes that Embalo is extremely interested in attracting foreign investment to his country, especially on the eve of the upcoming presidential elections this year. About the visit of the African leader to the Russian capital and the prospects for cooperation between the two countries — in the Izvestia article.
President Embalo's visit to Moscow
On February 26, the Russian president held talks with the leader of Guinea-Bissau, who arrived in Russia for the first time on a state visit. At the beginning of the meeting in the Kremlin, the Russian leader noted that the two countries have had diplomatic relations for more than 50 years. Vladimir Putin particularly thanked Oumaru Sisoka Embalo for his participation in the Russia–Africa summits, noting that his country was making "a significant contribution to this joint work."
— I would like to note that last year the trade turnover between Russia and the African continent continued to grow and added 10%. However, trade and economic relations between our countries certainly need careful attention from both sides. I really hope that we will be able to agree on how they gain momentum after all. There are good groundwork and good opportunities here. Many of our companies are showing a growing interest in working in your market," Putin said.
The Russian leader expressed hope that the people of Guinea-Bissau would support the candidacy of Oumaru Sisoku Embalo in the upcoming elections. "The good relations that have developed between our countries in recent years are largely linked to your name and are developing with your support," the president added.
— Our humanitarian ties are also growing. First of all, I am referring to the growing interest of Bisai youth in getting an education in Russia. As for education, this applies not only to the civilian sphere, but also to the military," he said.For his part, Oumaru Sisoku Embalo thanked the head of the Russian state for his "significant contribution" to the formation of Guinea-Bissau during the Soviet Union, as well as to the development of the Bisayan people. "He remembers this," the politician stressed. Embalo also positively noted the increase in quotas for the Bisayan military and police officers studying in the Russian Federation.
— Some companies are also interested in developing relations with Guinea-Bissau. We are reliable partners. I am here today to strengthen our friendly ties between the Bisai and Russian peoples, they are fraternal peoples," he added.It is worth noting that starting in 2022, this is Umaru Sisoku Embalo's fourth visit to Russia. The last time he came to Moscow was on May 9 last year and attended the Victory Day Parade, after which Vladimir Putin invited him to come to Russia again — but this time on a state visit. This time, before meeting with the Russian president, Embalo laid a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier.
What is Russia interested in Guinea-Bissau
As previously announced in the Kremlin, the talks between the two leaders are devoted to the development of Russian-Chinese cooperation in various fields, as well as topical issues on the international and regional agenda. At the same time, the Portuguese agency Lusa, citing sources in the government of Guinea-Bissau, reported that the leaders would discuss, in particular, geological exploration and possible extraction of minerals underground and in the Guinean Sea — oil, gas, phosphates, bauxite, heavy sand, as well as fishing.
By the way, on February 26, at the ministerial level, Russia and Guinea-Bissau signed a memorandum on cooperation in the field of geology and subsoil use, as well as a memorandum on the establishment of a mechanism for consultations on economic, trade and investment cooperation.
Earlier, Rusal signed a contract with the republic, under which Russian specialists are to begin exploration of bauxite in the Boe area. According to the government of the West African country, the reserves there exceed 113 million tons
Although the bauxite mining project is at the very initial stage of development, it will remain at the center of the trade and economic agenda in the media field, and Embalo is extremely interested in attracting foreign investment to the country, Vsevolod Sviridov, Deputy director of the HSE Center for African Studies, explains to Izvestia.
— Other areas of cooperation may include projects in the field of aquaculture, fishing, and agriculture. The Government of Guinea-Bissau is also interested in attracting investors to the oil and gas sector, but it is too early to talk about promising projects in this area. It is also important to take into account that presidential elections are planned in the country in 2025 and Embalo will use the visit to Moscow, including as an argument in the internal political struggle and in negotiations with other external centers of power. Embalo's position is not so strong, he is opposed by the opposition led by the country's key political force, the African Independence Party of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIKG), from which Embalo himself left, the expert added.
In May 2024, it also became known about Rusal's intention to build a railway and a port in Guinea-Bissau. It is assumed that the transport artery will connect the country with Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which have no access to the sea.
— The construction of a deep-water port and a railway is part of the outline of the bauxite mining project, its main parameters were proposed by the previous owner of the project. Given that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are important allies of Russia, their mention can serve as an additional tool to gain political support for the project. But it would be premature to say that Guinea-Bissau is attracted to the Sahel countries. Guinea-Bissau has quite diversified foreign relations: a steady dialogue with Portugal, the former metropolis, and Senegal, which has a significant impact on the politics and economy of the state, the expert said.
In recent years, Russia has attached special importance to the development of the African dimension of its foreign policy. Another department, Partnership with Africa, has recently been established in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. According to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, such a step reflects "the main line for strengthening comprehensive ties in various formats with the states of the continent and, more broadly, with the countries of the Global South, the world majority."
According to the minister, the volume of trade and economic cooperation between the Russian Federation and African countries is growing and reached $25 billion by the end of 2024, but it does not yet meet the existing potential. "Other partners in Africa show significantly higher numbers. They inspire us to look for new mutually beneficial projects that will strengthen the material foundation of our strategic partnership," he said on February 4. Among the promising areas, the minister mentioned energy, including nuclear power, logistics, space and digital technologies.
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