OUAGADOUGOU /Burkina Faso/, June 4. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has thanked his counterpart from Burkina Faso Karamoko Jean Marie Traore for his assistance in opening the Russian embassy in that country in December 23 after a 31-year break, a TASS correspondent reported.

"We, both I and my delegation, are very touched by the warm welcome we received. We feel at home here. Our relations are on the rise, first of all thanks to the agreements that were reached by our presidents on the sidelines of the second Russia-Africa summit," he said upon arrival in Burkina Faso.

"Thank you very much for your effective help that has made it possible for us to resume the work of our embassy in Ouagadougou. We are implementing a program of resuming the operation of our embassies in Africa, and Burkina Faso was practically the first country where it has been done. Our relations have good history and are based on trust, mutual sympathy, and respect. Contacts at all levels are quite intense. Naturally, our talks will help specify the tasks set by our presidents and will give a fresh impetus to our friendly relations," Lavrov said.

Lavrov arrived in Ouagadougou on the first-ever visit to Burkina Faso. He was welcomed by Foreign Minister Faso Karamoko Jean Marie Traore at the airport, where the two top diplomats held brief talks. After that, they continued talks, joined by delegations, at an Ouagadougou hotel.

Burkina Faso is the third stopover during his African tour. Previously, he visited Guinea and the Republic of the Congo.