Russia poised to open embassy in Burkina Faso by year-end as Moscow deepens footprints in Africa

Vsevolod Tkachenko, Director of the Africa Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, announced Tuesday December 12 the opening of the Russian embassy in Burkina Faso by end of December 2023, with several other missions to be opened in other Africa countries.
“We expect that technically we will be able to open an embassy in Burkina Faso, I hope, by the end of this year. We are already sending a group of our diplomats there, who will solve organizational issues,” Tkachenko said on the sidelines of the International Congress “Africa Seeks Solutions,” taking place in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg.
Apart from the West African country, Moscow is also set to open a mission in Equatorial Guinea in the near future. Tkachenko did not elaborate on the timeline.
The announcements are in line with Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s July 2023 indication at the second Russia-Africa Summit of Russia’s readiness to open new diplomatic missions and increase diplomatic staff in African States.
Russia in recent years has stepped up its presence in Africa with much more presence in Mali, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic (CAR) and last week in Niger at the expense of France which has fallen from favor from those African countries.
The International Congress “Africa Seeks Solutions” is held at the Saint Petersburg Mining University of Empress Catherine II on December 10-15.