KRONSHTADT, July 30. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and African leaders who were guests at Russia’s Main Naval Parade in St. Petersburg visited Kronshtadt.
The Russian president and the African leaders arrived at the port city aboard the presidential boat after the end of the Main Naval Parade that involved the procession of combat ships, gunboats and submarines on the Neva River and in the Gulf of Finland and a foot parade on the Admiralty Embankment.
The foreign guests included President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Mali’s Interim President Assimi Goita, President of Eritrea Isaias Afwerki and Interim President of Burkina Faso Ibrahim Traore. Before that, the Russian president briefly talked with each of the African leaders at the central reviewing stand after the end of the Main Naval Parade.
The heads of the delegations of another three African states, namely, the deputy chairman of the Sovereign Council of Sudan, the prime minister of the United Republic of Tanzania and the vice president of Equatorial Guinea were also aboard the Russian presidential boat.
All of them participated in the second Russia-Africa summit that took place in St. Petersburg on July 27-28.
This year, Russia’s Main Naval Parade involved 45 combat ships, gunboats and submarines of the Northern, Pacific, Baltic and Black Sea Fleets and about 3,000 troops.