The Republic of Togo is interested in certifying the Russian vaccine against the Sputnik V coronavirus, Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey said on Tuesday during talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"Speaking of the epidemic situation, we are very interested in your Sputnik V vaccine. We are very happy that already all over the world this vaccine has been recognized, it is considered one of the best. We are certainly very interested in certifying it and cooperating with you in the medical field," he said.
Dussey noted that the first-ever visit of Togo's Foreign Minister to Russia is intended to further strengthen the level of bilateral cooperation, especially in the field of business. "We would like to develop business contacts with Russia so that Russian businessmen who are interested in investing in Africa, in Togo, can come to us. Togo is a small country in West Africa, but we are a kind of gateway to the whole continent: we have a port in the Gulf of Guinea, we have an airport with a pan-African airline, we also have a bank of pan-African importance," he added.
The head of the Foreign Ministry of Togo thanked the Russian side for the training of specialists for the Republic, who held governmental and ministerial positions. According to him, about 800 Togolese were educated in the USSR and Russia, and about 100 citizens of Togo are studying in Russia at the moment.
For his part, Lavrov said that Russia highly values its relations with Togo, and noted the close cooperation on the UN platform. "There is a keen interest in Russia to develop our bilateral relations more actively in all areas - in trade, in the economy, in education, in the military-technical field. We will be interested to hear your assessments of the processes that are taking place on the African continent, including the resolution of various conflicts," the Minister added.
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Photo: Press Service of the Russian Foreign Ministry / TASS
Based on materials from TASS