MOSCOW, June 4. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in the Republic of Congo, where he will hold negotiations with the leadership of this country, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel.

"Sergey Lavrov has arrived in the Republic of Congo. Negotiations with the leadership of this country will take place tomorrow in the city of Oyo," she wrote.

This year marks the 60th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and the Republic of Congo.

On July 29, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the head of the republic, Denis Sassou Nguesso, as part of the Russia-Africa summit. The Russian leader noted that "leading Russian companies, including Lukoil, Yandex, and Rosatom, are working effectively in Congo."

It can be expected that in Oyo Lavrov and his counterparts from the republic’s leadership will focus on further promotion of trade and economic ties. According to data provided by Putin at the negotiations in July 2023, trade turnover between Russia and the Republic of Congo soared by 85% in January-April 2023.

It is highly likely that promising projects in the energy sector will be discussed. The Republic of Congo is engaged in oil production, and proven reserves of crude oil are estimated at 1.6 billion barrels (38th place in the world). At the beginning of 2024, Congo for the first time announced plans to start exporting liquefied natural gas, producing the first batch at the Marine 12 project of the Italian Eni and Lukoil. The reserves of natural and associated gas in the country were estimated at 90.6 million cubic meters.

Military-technical cooperation will certainly be among the topics of negotiations between the head of Russian diplomacy in the Congo. In 2019, a contract was signed to send Russian military specialists to this African state. Also, at that time, negotiations were held on the supply of new Russian military equipment to the Republic of Congo.

Currently, as noted at the Russian Embassy in Brazzaville, an important area of bilateral relations is also humanitarian cooperation, "interaction in the training of Congolese personnel in Russian universities is intensively developing." In the 2023-2024 academic year, the number of government scholarships for the Republic of Congo was increased to 250. The Russian Center for Science and Culture operates in Brazzaville.