The Russian Orthodox Church has asked the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for permission to establish official representation there, Ivan Vangu Ngimbi, DRC ambassador to Russia, has said.
A project to establish a Russian language center already exists within the framework of the DRC's cooperation with the ROC, he told Sputnik.
At the end of 2022, the chairman of the missionary department of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa outlined a growth in applications to join the Russian Orthodox Church in Africa.
"The appearance of the Russian Church in Africa has raised interest in Orthodoxy across many countries," he stated.
Enhancing academic cooperation
Some higher education institutions in both countries are holding talks on expanding cooperation. In particular, a delegation from the Voronezh Pedagogical University is being expected in Kinshasa at the end of April.
Moreover, last January, the bust of the first man in space, Soviet Yuri Gagarin, was inaugurated on the campus of the University of Kinshasa. According to University's rector, Jean-Marie Kayembe, this was a sign of friendship between Russia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In addition, the Peoples' Friendship University in Moscow was recently given back the name of the first Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba (the name was previously removed after the fall of the Soviet Union).