Russian companies have shown a growing interest in the Guinea-Bissau market, according to President Vladimir Putin, who made the statement during official talks at the Kremlin with his Guinea-Bissau counterpart, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, on Wednesday.

“Many of our companies are interested in working in your market,” stated the Russian head of state during the negotiations with Sissoco Embaló. Putin highlighted that trade between Russia and the African continent “continued to grow last year, with an increase of 10 percent.”

This year marks the 52nd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Guinea-Bissau, relations that “have successfully developed based on mutual respect and growing trust,” Putin added.

The Russian president also expressed his hope that the people of Guinea-Bissau will support Sissoco in the upcoming elections. “The good relations that have developed in recent years between our countries are largely related to your name and are developing with your support,” he explained.

For his part, Sissoco emphasized that Russia and Guinea-Bissau are reliable partners. “I am here today to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the peoples of Guinea and Russia. They are sister nations,” declared the Guinea-Bissau president. He also thanked Moscow for increasing the number of quotas for military and police personnel studying in Russia.

President Sissoco of Guinea-Bissau arrived in Russia on Wednesday for a state visit to hold talks with his Russian counterpart. The last time the two leaders had a telephone conversation was in January this year, when they discussed important topics to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, economic, humanitarian, and investment areas.

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