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Burundi, Equatorial Guinea Defense Ministers Highlight Friendly Relations With Russia on Army-2024

Russia, during the recently concluded Army-2024 Forum, signed state contracts with arms manufacturers worth almost 500 billion rubles ($5.3 billion). This year's event welcomed delegations from 83 countries, including 39 led by defense ministry heads and chiefs of general staffs. Over 120 foreign companies participated from August 12-14.
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Burundi's participation in the Russian Army-2024 Forum aimed to demonstrate the longstanding friendship and excellent relations between Russia and the republic, Alain Tribert Mutabazi, the country's Minister of National Defense and Veterans, told reporters on the sidelines of the International Military Forum Army-2024.
"The goal of Burundi's participation in this forum, firstly or generally, is to also show friendship, good relations that exist between Russia and the Republic of Burundi in general, along with the defense cooperation between the Burundian army and the army of Russia," he said.
In addition to these primary objectives, Burundi sought to explore the equipment and weapons produced in Russia, he added.
His view was echoed by his colleague from Equatorial Guinea, the Minister of National Defense of Equatorial Guinea, Divisional General Victoriano Bibang Nsue Okomo, regarding his country's participation in the event.

"You already know that we are friends of the Russian Federation and that when we are invited to participate, we will be the first to knock on the door and respond "present," that's why we're here, that's the goal," he noted.

In May, Okomo visited Belarus for an official visit to hold negotiations "focused on prospects for Belarus-Equatorial Guinea military cooperation."
Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov held a number of bilateral meetings with foreign delegation heads who had arrived in Russia to attend the Army-2024 forum, which was held from August 12-14 at the Patriot exhibition center in Kubinka, Moscow Region.