The World Bank has refused economic support to the Central African Republic (CAR) because of its cooperation with Russia, President of the Economic and Social Council of the Central African Republic Alfred Tainga Poloko said on Tuesday during a round table on cooperation between public institutions of Russia and the Central African Republic, organized by the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation.
Earlier, CAR Prime Minister Felix Moloua said in an interview with Sputnik that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) refused economic support for his country because of Bangui's cooperation with Moscow.
"The choice of full cooperation between the Russian Federation and the CAR, which our leaders made, cost us the loss of significant amounts of economic assistance that our past partners had previously allocated to us. Now, neither the International Monetary Fund nor the World Bank allocate more economic assistance to our country because of the choice we have made," Poloko said.
He noted that, however, relations between the World Bank and the Central African Republic continue in the field of projects.
The Central African official indicated that the choice of cooperation between the two countries is "not a matter of discussion," calling on Russian colleagues to step up cooperation level.
"Now you and I have to do everything necessary to strengthen our cooperation, work for the benefit of our societies and so that together we can come out of these challenge with our heads held high," Poloko added.
In the wake of ongoing Russian military operations in Ukraine, the West has been putting pressure on African countries to cut ties with Moscow, especially countries that have close ties with Moscow. Most of these countries have historically had close ties with Russia dating back to the Soviet era, and have continued to maintain strong diplomatic and economic relations with Moscow.
In May 2022, Washington adopted a bill aimed at countering "malign" Russian activities, which hinder the achievement of the US objectives and interests in Africa. In accordance with the bill, the country is able to sanction African nations for cooperation with Moscow in various fields.
African officials, who rejected foreign interference in their sovereignty, have repeatedly criticized the pressure by Western countries. In September 2022, at a meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said that African nations "should not be told by anyone" with whom to cooperate and with whom to cut ties.
"We should not be told by anyone who we associate with, and we should never be put in positions where we have to choose who our friends are," Ramaphosa told reporters after his meeting with Biden.