The Russian president has described Brazzaville as a priority partner in Africa, while Sassou Nguesso welcomed the countries growing ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the Republic of the Congo as a "reliable, time-tested partner" during talks with President Denis Sassou Nguesso in Beijing. The meeting took place on the sidelines of events marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Imperial Japan and the end of World War II.

Putin said Russia is committed to strengthening cooperation in education, noting that hundreds of Congolese students study in Russia each year. Moscow is prepared to expand scholarship opportunities for Congolese nationals, he added.

"Working together with Congo is one of the priorities of our foreign policy efforts in Africa," Putin stated.

Sassou Nguesso called relations between the two countries "excellent" and noted that they are developing.

The Beijing talks marked the fourth in-person meeting between the two presidents, following encounters in St. Petersburg in 2023, Moscow in2024, and earlier this year on thesidelinesof commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

During the previous meeting, Putin said trade with African partners remains "stable but modest," adding that Moscow is working to expand results. According to Vsevolod Sviridov, an expert at the Center for African Studies at Moscow's Higher School of Economics, annual trade turnover with the African state has reached about $200 million.

In June, Russian lawmakersratifiedan agreement with Congo on building an oil pipeline from the Atlantic port of Pointe-Noire to the country's interior. Sassou Nguesso has said Congo was deepening energy cooperation with Russia and confirmed the pipeline as "a major project."

According to the African Initiative outlet, about 750 Congolese students are currently enrolled at Russian universities, with 250 receiving scholarships from the Russian government each year.

Sassou Nguesso has been the leader of the Republic of the Congo since 1979, with only a short break from 1992-1997. In 1981, as president of the then socialist-oriented People's Republic of the Congo, he visited Moscow and met with Leonid Brezhnev. The friendship treaty which was then signed between the Congo and the USSR is valid to this day.

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(RT.com)