Russia is preparing to open diplomatic missions in South Sudan, Niger and Sierra Leone, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.
"We are now preparing to open full-fledged diplomatic missions in Sierra Leone, Niger and the Republic of South Sudan," Lavrov said during a reception on the occasion of Africa Day.
The foreign minister also highlighted the growth of Russian-African trade.
"We note the growth of Russian-African trade. It grew by 30% and amounted to about $25 billion last year," Lavrov said at a reception on the occasion of Africa Day.
The expansion of Russia's diplomatic network in Africa aligns with the ministry's stated goal of increasing its presence on the continent.
In February, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Africa Department, Vsevolod Tkachenko, confirmed that new diplomatic offices were in the pipeline.
The reopening of the Russian embassy in Burkina Faso last December after a 31-year hiatus, coupled with the imminent official opening of the embassy in Equatorial Guinea, further demonstrates Russia's renewed commitment to engagement in Africa.