Guinean President Oumaro Sissoko Embalo assured his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin this Thursday that his country can count on Guinea-Bissau “as a permanent ally.”
Sissoko Embalo is in Russia as a guest to attend the Victory Day celebrations this Friday.
Embalo’s statements at the press conference with Putin were provided by the President of Guinea.
“Russia can count on Guinea-Bissau as a permanent ally that will never change,” the Guinean president said.
Umaro Sissoko Embalo thanked Putin for “all the support” Guinea-Bissau received from the former Soviet Union during its armed struggle for independence, and stressed that this contribution was most visible in the Armed Forces.
“In Guinea-Bissau, more than 70% of our troops were trained in the former USSR to see what kind of connection exists between us and Russia,” Embalo said.
As an example, the Guinean President pointed to two members of his delegation: his political adviser Fernando Delphim da Silva and the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Biage Na Ntan.
Both, Embalo emphasized, received higher education in Russian academies.
The Guinean President called on Vladimir Putin to visit Guinea-Bissau as soon as he tours Africa, and also called on Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to visit Bissau.
“We have already received everyone, but in Guinea-Bissau we only received your ambassador. Now we are waiting to receive someone at the level of Foreign Minister Sergei (Lavr) and other Russian officials,” Embalo defended.
The Guinean President noted that he left the discussion of his country’s needs and the partnership that could be developed between Guinea-Bissau and Russia until his meeting with Putin behind closed doors.