Russia expects to open an embassy in Burkina Faso by the end of the year. A group of Russian diplomats has been sent to the country, Vsevolod Tkachenko, Director of the Africa Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on the sidelines of the International Congress "Africa Seeks Solutions," taking place in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg.
The head of the foreign ministry department added that the Russian embassy in Equatorial Guinea will also open in the near future.
"We expect that technically we will be able to open an embassy in Burkina Faso, I hope, by the end of this year. We are already sending a group of our diplomats there, who will solve organizational issues," Tkachenko noted.
He also said that apart from Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea, Russia intends to open new embassies in other countries on the African continent.
"We do not plan to stop [with the opening of the Russian embassies] only in Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea," he underlined.
In late July, during the second Russia-Africa Summit, Vladimir Putin expressed his country's readiness to open new diplomatic missions and increase diplomatic staff in African states.
The International Congress "Africa Seeks Solutions" is held at the Saint Petersburg Mining University of Empress Catherine II on December 10-15.