Russia views Nigeria as a priority partner on the African continent, with promising prospects for enhancing bilateral relations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated during talks in Moscow with Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar.
"We are pleased that you visit our country regularly, a tradition that has already become established. Last July, as part of the Nigerian delegation, you visited St. Petersburg to participate in the second Russia-Africa summit, and today we are welcoming you as Nigeria's foreign minister," - Lavrov addressed Tuggar. - "This reflects the strong traditions of friendship between our peoples and, of course, very promising prospects for the development of relations at this stage."
Lavrov emphasized, "We see Nigeria as a priority partner on the African continent."
The Russian foreign minister noted that countries of the global South and East are increasingly asserting their interests more actively in the international arena. "We have even more points of contact, even more converging approaches in favor of eliminating injustice from international relations and establishing there an equitable balance of interests in full compliance with the principles of the UN Charter," Lavrov added.
"Certainly, the assertion by countries, in this case of the African continent, of their interests on the agenda of international contacts makes our joint work to promote bilateral trade, economic, investment, humanitarian cooperation, and cooperation in all other areas more effective," the Russian foreign minister concluded.
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Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS