MOSCOW, February 6. /TASS/. Russia will continue to aid the process of national accord in the Central African Republic (CAR) in coordination with the country’s government, the African Union and the United Nations, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

The ministry reminded that today marks one year since the signing of a peace agreement in CAR’s capital of Bangui between the country’s government and armed groups operating on its territory. "The implementation of these agreements has become a landmark event in CAR’s political life, jumpstarting the process of national accord," the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.

"We continue to support the process of national accord in the Central African Republic, working in close coordination with the country’s government led by President Faustin-Archange Touadera, the African Union and CAR’s international partners, as well as within the platform of the UN and its Security Council," the ministry said.

Russia "aims to continue providing comprehensive support to CAR with the goal of regulating the situation, namely through aiding defense reforms," the ministry added. "We are confident that raising the capacity and training of the national army and law enforcement will help combat the activity of illegal armed formations, ensure the protection of civil population and facilitate the spread of state authority on the entire territory of CAR," the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

Russian diplomats pointed out that Russia had always taken active part in promoting Central African settlement, adding that the peace agreement had been signed in part due to mediation efforts of Russia and Sudan, who initiated the 2018 talks between armed formations in Khartoum. In January-February 2019, direct talks between CAR’s government and armed formations were held, which led to the signing of the peace agreement in Bangui on February 6, 2019, the ministry reminded.

The ministry stressed that since February 2019, a lot had been achieved despite certain obstacles. "There is gradual improvement in the sphere of security and human rights. Armed violence has gone down. There is progress in the implementation of the program on disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation of combatants. Slowly but steadily, national armed forces and law enforcement are establishing themselves on CAR’s territory," the message informs.

"We believe that under current circumstances, all interested parties must continue to adhere to the political agreement, abstaining from destabilizing the domestic policy situation in CAR in the interest of achieving a key objective: organizing and holding free, peaceful and transparent parliamentary and presidential elections within the stipulated period, which will become an important milestone in stabilization and normalization of the situation in the country," the Russian Foreign Ministry concluded.