Russia has military agreements with five Portuguese-speaking African countries, with Sao Tome being the most recent, and the agreement with Angola by far the most ambitious, according to their texts consulted by Luza.
The signing of agreements between Russia and the Portuguese-speaking countries of Africa (PALOP) practically dates back to the period of independence, but statements by Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova last Wednesday predict that their number will increase in the near future. – predicts Major General João Vieira Borges, coordinator of the Security and Defense Observatory SEDES.
“[Quando a porta-voz do MNE russo diz que Portugal tem tido nos últimos tempos uma] offensive position towards Russia, and that we are at the lowest point in the diplomatic relations between the two countries”, was the same as saying that “we are now in a position to enter the space of influence of Portugal, namely PALOP”, said in general, in Luse’s statements.
“I interpreted it in that sense too; it wasn’t easy [o desabafo de] Calimero, on the contrary, said that “Portugal is completely in the sphere of the West, namely under the influence of the USA and NATO and has therefore become a country with which we [Rússia] we don’t count; and from now on we can do whatever we want, wherever we are,” he added.
How? Vieira Borges concluded through the implementation of “other agreements with other Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa.”
Moscow’s next most anticipated targets for signing military agreements, according to the expert, will be Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau, since the recent rapprochement between Luanda and Washington has put Russia on “a state of alert” and Cape Verde is a traditional Western ally.
However, among all Portuguese-speaking African countries, Angola is the country that has signed the most extensive and deep military and police cooperation plan with Moscow.
The cooperation plan attached to the agreement on military, military-technical and police cooperation between Russia and Angola for 2014-2020, individual programs of which end only after completion and may go beyond the validity period of the plan, even provides for the construction of weapons factories with Russian patents on the territory of Angola.
This program provided for the supply of weapons to the three branches of the Angolan armed forces, including combat, observation and training aircraft, missiles and other sensitive weapons for the Angolan Air Force; patrol ships for the Navy or the construction of an artillery factory and another light weapons factory, modernization of armored vehicles and supply of light weapons to the Angolan army and police.
On the other hand, “Russia’s main African partner in space exploration has been Angola,” after some cooperation projects with South Africa, such as the CONDOR-E satellite surveillance project in the 2010s, caused “planned mistrust,” according to a study by the Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies. Research (SCEEUS) from January 2024.
Russia has signed several military agreements with Mozambique in recent years: one on the mutual protection of classified information in August 2019, another on simplified procedures for Russian warships entering Mozambican ports in April 2018, followed by a naval memorandum. cooperation a year later.
They all exist, but according to international analysts, Moscow has been pursuing the dream of establishing a naval base in the port of Nacala for many years and was close to realizing it after a scandal over hidden debts in 2018.
Shortly thereafter, Moscow sent the paramilitary Wagner Group to Mozambique to fight al-Shabab in Cabo Delgado. It was a short-lived operation that ended in failure for the Russian mercenaries.
“Moscow is undoubtedly eyeing the port of Nacala, the deepest in southern Africa, which lies about 200 miles south of the Rovuma basin. The Mozambican town of Palma, located near the border with Tanzania, is poised to become Rovuma’s main liquefied gas port. natural gas (LNG) industry, but is unlikely to serve as a Russian naval base,” the Jamestown Foundation’s Eurasia Daily Monitor wrote in November 2019.
Guinea-Bissau, in addition to debt relief of some 26 million euros announced by the Russian government last March, appears in official Russian reports as having signed a military-technical cooperation agreement in November 2018.
This agreement differs significantly from the agreement currently signed by Sao Tome and does not provide for any “cooperation” or agreements “within international organizations and forums on fundamental issues of international security and stability.”
Instead, the Guinean agreement is limited to “supplies of weapons, military equipment and other military products”; “provision of services in the field of military-technical cooperation”; “sending experts to support the implementation of joint programs”; and “staff training”; between others.
Guinea-Bissau was absent from the United Nations General Assembly hemicycle for the March 2022 and February 2023 votes on two resolutions condemning Russia’s February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
In addition, he was represented at the level of heads of state at the last Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg last summer.
At the end of July 2023, only one other Portuguese-speaking president visited St. Petersburg: Filipe Nyusi from Mozambique, a country that, like Angola, abstained in both UN votes.
Finally, Cape Verde, which like Sao Tome voted to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, signed a simplified procedure with Moscow in June 2018 for the entry of Russian warships into its territorial sea and internal waters, which includes the dry-docking of Russian warships. in the ports of Cape Verde, ship repairs and other related aspects.
Under the CPLP, Equatorial Guinea signed an agreement of the same nature with Russia in July 2015.
Praia and Moscow also signed a military-technical cooperation agreement in November 2000, similar in nature to the agreement with Guinea-Bissau signed more than a decade and a half later.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.