MOSCOW, March 6. /TASS/. Russia and Nigeria intend to strengthen cooperation in the energy sector and agriculture, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference following negotiations with Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar.
"The negotiations were useful, they confirmed the importance of regular political dialogue between our countries, stated that Russian-Nigerian ties continue to develop progressively, and that we have a mutual intention that this trend not only continue, but strengthen. This concerns all areas of our relationship, notably the commercial and economic component. Other areas with the most potential include collaboration in the energy sector, infrastructure construction, agriculture, healthcare, and education," Lavrov said.
"We agreed that we will pay constant attention to these processes, the necessary organizational and diplomatic support for establishing, expanding, and strengthening contacts between our business circles. For these purposes, we agreed to boost the work of the intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation and use the Russia-Nigeria Business Council," the Russian foreign minister said.
The Minister also stated that Russia recognizes Nigeria's interest in military-technical cooperation. "We are also interested in the recently modified working agreement for military-technical cooperation. Our Nigerian friends show reciprocal interest," he stated.