Russia and the CAR discussed interaction between the two countries in the electricity sector, including the design and construction of new energy-generating facilities, the Russian Ministry of Energy said.
The statement followed a working meeting between Deputy Minister of Energy of Russia Sergey Mochalnikov and Minister-Delegate in the Administration of the President of the CAR for capital construction and strategic investments Pascal Bida Koyagbele.
The ministry of energy expressed its willingness to help thoroughly analyze the current state of the CAR energy system and to develop recommendations for its improvement. Additionally, during the meeting, participants talked about ways to cooperate with the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Following the meeting, the CAR delegation was invited to attend the Russian Energy Week, which will be held in Moscow this year from September 26 to 28.
Last December, CAR Foreign Minister Sylvie Baipo-Temon told Sputnik that his country was in talks with Russia on supplies of Russian oil products to the African nation, as the latter does not produce oil itself and relies on imports of refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, and kerosene to meet its transportation and power generation needs.
However, cooperation between the countries is not limited to the energy sector. The military sphere is also an important area of partnership. In late April, CAR Defense Minister Claude Rameaux Bireau said that hundreds of officers of the country's armed forces were undergoing training in Russia, while at the same time noting that over the past five years, Russian instructors have trained more than 10,000 CAR servicemen to fight insecurity caused by rebel groups.
What's also important is that the African country is "seeing results" of this cooperation, according to Central African Prime Minister Felix Moloua, who recalled at the 2024 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that the CAR is now a free country, given that 80% of its territory was once occupied by armed groups.
Moreover, Russia helps the republic in the humanitarian sphere. In March, Moscow handed 50,000 tonnes of free wheat to the CAR. In January, the nation had already received 50,000 tonnes of free Russian grain.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Commissioner for Children's Rights under the President of Russia Maria Lvova-Belova revealed that humanitarian missions in a number of African countries, including the CAR, will be expanded, which includes educational endeavors.