The Gambia has friendly relations with Russia, marked by active ties in the educational sphere, Demba Sabally, Minister of Agriculture of the Gambia told Sputnik Africa.
"The Gambia is a very big friend of Russia, and we have maintained a relationship with Russia. Since the 1970s we have had an embassy here, and our students have been coming here to study medicine for the past 30 years," Sabally said.
The minister added that Gambia counts on Russia's support in fertilizer supplies, as it is more beneficial for the West African nation to trade without the involvement of third parties that inflate costs.
"It will be profitable as a country for us to deal with the producers directly, and the ministry of trade has promised that they will be a go-between and will do the negotiations for us, let us just contact them, and the price is almost half of what we had been buying fertilizers for," he remarked.
Ahead of the Second Russia-Africa Summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged that Moscow will continue to supply grain and fertilizers to African countries despite sanctions.
The same day, Russian Fertilizer Producers Association said that Russia has doubled fertilizer exports to Africa over the past five years, with the country's market share on the continent reaching 12%, adding that Russian companies plan to increase shipments.
The Second Russia-Africa Summit is taking place in St. Petersburg on July 27-28 and is designed to develop paths for the comprehensive development of relations between Russia and African countries.