Russia has announced the reopening of its embassy in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso.
Gatekeepers News reports that this development is coming over 30 years without Russia’s diplomatic presence in Burkina Faso.
Russia’s ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso, Alexey Saltykov, spoke in a statement made available to TASS, state-owned news agency, on Thursday.
The statement quoted the ambassador as saying, “The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso [Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela], as well as the ministers of defense, energy, sports, education, the deputy speaker of the transitional legislative assembly, Russian compatriots and Burkinabe journalists and representatives of foreign diplomatic corps.”
Saltykov said the diplomatic mission in Burkina Faso would match the average size of most Russian embassies in West Africa in terms of staff.
According to TASS, Saltykov added that the opening of the embassy would give an impetus to relations between the two countries.
The opening of the embassy comes after President Vladimir Putin’s comments in August.
Putin earlier said the resumption of diplomatic operations would be a step to intensify cooperation with African countries in the political, business and humanitarian fields, as well as in culture and tourism.
Russia had closed its embassy in Burkina Faso in 1992 as part of a broader reduction of its involvement in Africa following the end of the cold war.
The reopening of the Kremlin embassy follows a shift in Burkina Faso’s international alignment, particularly after the military coup in 2022, which led to a strained relationship with France, former colonial power, and a closer shift to Russia.
