'Excellent Result': Burkinabe FM on Russia's Grain Delivery and Relations Between Two Countries

By delivering a batch of free grain, Russia showed its solidarity with Burkina Faso, Burkinabe Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karamoko Jean Marie Traore, told Sputnik Africa, adding that this aid is important for the country as it doesn't produce wheat.

"Like most countries around the world, we are also a consumer of wheat. And Russia is a country that understands the situation [...]. So this gesture comes as a relief to our needs in terms of grain," Traore said.

The minister further praised all the promises kept by Vladimir Putin at the time of withdrawal from the grain deal "in terms of quantity, in terms of delivery deadline, in terms of beneficiaries," calling it "an excellent result."

"We did not buy this wheat, it was given to us. So, it is really an act of recognition towards the government, the Russian people and the President of Russia," he noted.

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The West, however, doesn't seem to like the rapprochement between Africa and Russia, as their union advocates for multipolar world order.

“We're in favor of each state having its own space for expression. And Russia is also part of this dynamic,” the minister stated.

Moreover, he rejected the behavior of the West, which tries to "confine certain countries politically, economically and legally."

“The choice of the West, in my opinion, is a choice that needs to be thought through more carefully to avoid entering into selfish relations, because we are equal in law and in international relations,” Traore argued.

Furthermore, talking about relations between Russia and Burkina Faso, the minister said that a large Russian delegation visited the African country this week, which demonstrates "excellence" of the partnership between the two countries.

"These [Russian] delegations come to understand and to tell us what they can provide as a solution. And this is what corresponds to the model that we are looking for. So, I would say that the regular visits of delegations are for me an indicator of the good health of our relationship with Russia," the official explained.

The last topic that was discussed during the interview was Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and the possible creation of its sovereign currency to replace the CFA franc.

Traore pondered that if such a currency could make the AES even more independent, it would be welcome. But for now, the union is occupied with a more pressing problem — terrorism.

"If this currency could allow the Alliance of Sahel States to be more autonomous and to make itself heard, of course that would be welcome. But for now, our occupation is first and foremost security. We must first create the conditions for an economy that can prosper. And this is what the Sahel States are working on," the politician told Sputnik Africa.

The minister also recalled the reasons for the AES creation, pointing out that the insecurity problem facing the member states — Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger — wasn't created by these countries but came from the states that suffered interventions, like Libya. And the establishment of the bloc is a "message" that "shows the determination of the three countries to come together and win the fight against terrorism."

"[...] The AES itself [...] is a message [...] of three countries that were not understood, of three countries that have suffered ever since, and of three countries that made the decision not to disappear by putting their forces together to fight a problem that concerns the entire world," Traore concluded.