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Russia's top diplomat vows to support African Union’s efforts to resolve conflicts

The African Union commissioner, in turn, confirmed the determination to continue close cooperation with Russia

MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/. Moscow will continue to support the African Union’s efforts to counter threats to the continent by training police officers and peacekeepers, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with African Union Peace and Security Commissioner Smail Shergi on Wednesday.

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Lavrov stressed that Russia sought to assist "our African friends in the fight against threats" and facilitate efforts to resolve conflicts "by training police officers, peacekeepers and defense officials of the African countries."

"We will continue to support the African Union’s efforts in all of those ways, so I would like to hear your assessment of the situation on the continent and the joint actions that we could take to improve it," the Russian top diplomat said addressing Shergi.

The African Union commissioner, in turn, confirmed the determination to continue close cooperation with Russia. "We all understand that the most important task we are facing is to fight terrorism and eradicate criminal networks, which pose a serious threat to peace and security," he pointed out.

"We highly value the support that Russia has been providing to us in various fields, including efforts to strengthen peace and security, as well as education and development. We are ready to further boost our cooperation," Shergi said.

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