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The Central African Republic (CAR) is looking into further cooperation with Russia, including a possible establishment of a permanent Russian military base in the country, CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera said in an interview with Russian media.
“We continue the work in this framework between our defense ministry and the Russian defense ministry to look into the possibility of cooperation,” Touadera stated after he was asked whether negotiations on a Russian military base in the republic were underway.
“Our cooperation with Russia is transparent. We addressed the Foreign Ministry and [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin in the framework of arms deliveries to CAR. That is done under the control of the Sanctions Committee of the UN… It was previewed that the Russian instructors could come train CAR military to use these arms. It’s the Russian defense minister whom CAR defense minister addressed for this question. It’s a state-to-state cooperation,” Toudera said.
The president added that the Russian business is welcome to invest in the CAR.
“There is also a number of sectors for investment. Let’s say Russian businessmen have a lot of capacities in CAR in the sectors of commerce and industry. These sectors were liberalized, so they can come and launch their activities, invest in CAR, respecting … the laws of commerce,” Toudera said.
For example, earlier in 2019, Russia’s Lobaye Invest received a license to mine gold and diamonds in CAR.
The security and economic cooperation between Russia and the CAR has for a long time been a center of various speculations by mainstream media. The main claim is that the Russians are somehow ‘undermining democracy’ there by assisting the government to resore security across the country.
Could you ever imagine the U.S. writing off $20 bn in debt forgiveness? Sign of a very self-confident country in it’s ability to win influence.
This may bode well for the Government and peoples of this African nation, but only if the governments rampant corruption can be brought under control. One of Africa’s nations that suffered greatly under old European colonial rule, that ever since gaining freedom has remained under European financials control of its rich and varied mineral resources. The “illegal” theft of those minerals was winked at by a thoroughly corrupt Government and Military, but in last 30 years those corrupt officials found themselves on the outside looking upon the roundabout means employed by foreign financials that backed malitia groups who stole uncountable billions by bypassing governments authorities. Most of the so called revolutionary groups were no more than high paid bandits who enslaved and exploited nations impoverished while shipping goods out of country. At one time that nation and its close neighbors had French as second language and both French language with French and Netherlands Francs as coin exchange, but as those nations lost their economic power to US and British, English and Dollars replaced old system. Billions were made by not so much foreign corporates but by foreign, 3 Israeli billionaires that now reside in Canada, Heavy backers of US Clinton family, individuals against government authorities, with almost all stolen wealth sold throughout Europes nations. Simple to move products into nearby nations that were then illegally shipped to feed save Europes need for cheap imports. Granting Nations such as China and Russia into domestic economic development will mean a more stable economy with actual wages paid not to enslaved labor but employees. There are vast differences between Russian and Chinese investments in foreign nations compared to US and European firms, mainly by Russia and China willing to invest in nations infrastructure and willingness to accept long term low % of returns which are opposites of move in rip guts out for quick returns of US Euro financials. Then there is an important point, Russia and Chinese do not seek to rule over nations political systems.
Reminds me of Sergey Lavrov, I think it was last year, being in Africa, holding meetings, around the time that Rex Tillerson was also in Africa, just down the road from where Sergey Lavrov was meeting various dignatories, but, Tillerson would not meet up with Sergey. Just before Tillerson resigned or did he get fired?
Tillerson, Russia’s Lavrov circle each other in Africa (March 2018)… https://www.foxnews.com/world/tillerson-russias-lavrov-circle-each-other-in-africa
Tillerson 69th United States Secretary of State from February 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018,