Russia says it is planning to work with Burkina Faso to develop strategies to fight terrorism in the West African nation, state-owned news agency AIB reports.
This emerged following a meeting between Burkinabe Prime Minister Apollinaire Kyelem de Tembela and Russian ambassador accredited to Burkina Faso, Alex Saltynov.
“We will develop a roadmap for bilateral co-operation. And from this, we will see what Russia could bring to Burkina Faso within the framework of security and the fight against terrorism,” the Russian envoy was quoted as saying.
Burkina Faso appears to be progressively embracing Russia under the influence of neighbouring Mali, where diplomatic relations with France collapsed last year over the deployment of mercenaries from the Wagner Group.
In December, the interim prime minister’s visit to Russia triggered rumours of the presence of Russian mercenaries in the country.