Putin Meets Congo's Sassou Nguesso on Economic Ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Republic of the Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso at the Kremlin on Wednesday to discuss expanding bilateral economic cooperation across multiple sectors.

Putin highlighted opportunities in geological exploration, energy, logistics and agriculture, stating that Russian companies were ready to work in the Central African nation. "We have good prospects for developing our relations in a variety of areas," Putin said, according to the Kremlin. "In the economy, our relations cover geological prospecting, energy, logistics, agriculture, and several other areas." He noted that Congo's political stability created favorable conditions for investment and added that Russia had trained 8,000 Congolese specialists in recent years.

The meeting occurred shortly after Sassou Nguesso's reelection last month, where he secured 94.8 percent of the vote in a contest that several opposition parties boycotted. Two prominent opposition leaders were imprisoned, while others remained in exile. Putin congratulated Sassou Nguesso on the victory, marking Russia as the first foreign destination for the Congolese leader following his April 16 inauguration.