Burkina Faso to Forge Strategic Partnership with Russia, says Prime Minister

Apollinaire Kyélem de Tambèla, Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, has said the country is set to establish a strategic partnership and diversify cooperation in “all areas” with the Russian Federation.

Kyélem de Tambèla disclosed this on Tuesday during his four-day visit to Moscow for the Burkina Faso Economic Days Forum. Alongside the Prime Minister in Moscow were Ministers of Transport, Energy, Economy, and Communications.

The Economic Forum, which started on October 8 and is slated to end on October 11, aims to attract investment to Burkina Faso and to promote business-to-business (B2B) between the two countries, according to Sputnik Africa.

At the event on Tuesday, the PM said, “When we turned to Russia, we were told that Russia could offer nothing but weapons. Nothing more. We decided to see for ourselves.

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“Therefore, we are looking for opportunities to diversify our relations in all areas. We want to establish a strategic military, economic, and cultural partnership.”

He also recalled that the country, as a former colony under France, was not satisfied with cooperating with the West even after post-independence.

I can say that our history of interaction with the French and the West in general has not brought us satisfaction. Therefore, we decided to try a different path. We told ourselves that if there is a partner we want to turn to now, it is Russia,” he said.

“Significant changes have recently taken place in Burkinabe society,” he stated, adding, “In the capital of Burkina Faso, you can see Russian flags here and there. This indicates that our people have high expectations of strengthening cooperation with Russia.”

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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