AYV News, May 10, 2024
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov has said Moscow will open its embassy in Sierra Leone by the end of 2024.
Sergey Lavrov said: “We plan to open new diplomatic missions on the African continent, including in Freetown where we expect to do it before the end of this year.
“We have agreed with Mr. Minister that he will formulate additional wishes for Russian investors in various sectors, including in the field of possible cooperation in nuclear energy and peaceful atom outside the energy sector.
“We will organise an interdepartmental study, it will not take much time. I think that you will find out about the results soon.”
Lavrov said all necessary decisions have been made and it is time to implement them and that both countries are working on it.
He also announced that the governments of the two countries are mulling cooperation in peaceful nuclear energy, including the possibility of the construction of a nuclear power plant in Sierra Leone.
Lavrov recently held a news conference in Moscow with his Sierra Leonean counterpart, Foreign Minister Timothy Musa Kabba.
Minister Kabba said the opening of the embassy will contribute to trust-building between Russian and Sierra Leonean businessmen.
He noted that every agreement that is adopted concerning private business in Sierra Leone is ratified by parliament to ensure additional security for foreign investors.
Kabba said his country has been experiencing an energy crisis.
“We have an energy crisis in Sierra Leone today, and energy is the lifeblood of any economy and a catalyst for development. Any energy that can help us is welcome, the only thing is that it must be eco-friendly. We welcome Russia’s investments in our energy sector,” he said.
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah said the bilateral engagements between Sierra Leone and Russia has been in existence since the 1960s and the recent engagement to open a Russian Embassy in Freetown is to deepen that long-standing relationship.
Sierra Leone’s President Dr. Julius Maada Bio recently extended an invitation to Russia to open an embassy in the West African nation.
