eritrean president visit russia

Russia’s FM Lavrov meets Eritrean president on Africa tour

The foreign minister’s trip to Eritrea comes as part of his Africa tour, which took him to South Africa, Angola and Eswatini.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has met Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki in Asmara during the Russian diplomat’s second tour of Africa to boost international support for Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.

The visit comes after Lavrov visited officials in South Africa , one of his country’s most important allies on the continent, where on Monday he pushed back at criticisms over joint naval drills between Russia, China and South Africa scheduled for next month.

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The discussion centred on the dynamics of the war in Ukraine and the enhancement of bilateral ties in energy, mining, information technology, education and health sectors, said Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Meskel late on Thursday.

President Isaias Afwerki received at State House today Russian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The discussions centered on the dynamics of the war in Ukraine & enhancement of bilateral ties on sectors of energy, mining, information technology. education & health pic.twitter.com/Ax5Shac3JC — Yemane G. Meskel (@hawelti) January 26, 2023

Russia has found allies in several African countries which have taken a more neutral stance on Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

At the United Nations General Assembly’s first resolution in March last year condemning Russian actions, African countries formed a significant proportion of those abstaining from voting. Eritrea was one of the only five countries to vote against it along with Syria, North Korea, China and Belarus.

Before visiting Eritrea and South Africa, Lavrov was in Angola and Eswatini.

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Russian foreign minister visits Eritrea, an ally in its war on Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Eritrea on Thursday for a surprise one-day visit where he met with both President Isaias Afeworki and Foreign Minister Osman Saleh.

Eritrea, an authoritarian country in the Horn of Africa, is one of just five states that voted in March 2022 against the UN resolution condemning the invasion of Ukraine, along with Russia, Belarus, Syria and North Korea.

According to the Russian state news agency TASS Lavrov, who also stopped off in the Red Sea port of Massawa, said:

"I would like to mention the possibility of using the logistical potential of the Massawa port and the city’s airport. The airport of Massawa looks interesting from the point of view of its transit possibilities. Our partners are interested in the study, and we are ready to help them."

The Red Sea is a narrow waterway that is also strategically important. At its northern end is the Suez canal, a potential choke point for cargo ships entering the Mediterranean from the Indian Ocean.

Afeworki's regime has ruled the country, one of the most closed in the world, with an iron fist since its independence from Ethiopia in 1993.

His army is also accused of numerous abuses against the civilian population in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, where it supported the Ethiopian army against the Tigrayan rebels in a deadly conflict between November 2020 and November 2022.

These troops, present in this region since the beginning of the war, began to withdraw at the end of last week, announced the United States and the Ethiopian government.

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Lavrov shores up Eritrean support for Russia over Ukraine conflict

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By Duncan Miriri

NAIROBI (Reuters) -Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki on Thursday on a tour of Africa to shore up support for Russia, focusing on the "dynamics of the war in Ukraine", Eritrea's information minister said.

Lavrov has been on a week-long charm offensive on the continent, starting in South Africa, which is planning joint military drills with Russia and China, and finishing off with a surprise trip to the reclusive Horn of Africa nation of Eritrea.

South Africa is one of Russia's most important allies on a continent divided over the invasion and Western attempts to isolate Moscow because of its military actions.

Eritrea is one of the few African countries that voted against a U.N. resolution condemning Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine although many abstained.

"We are thankful to Eritrean friends for their consistent support of Russian initiatives in the UN," Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency TASS.

He said Asmara had taken a "principled and balanced position on issues regarding the events in Ukraine and around it", TASS reported, adding that he also invited his Eritrean counterpart, Osman Saleh , to visit Moscow soon.

The talks in Eritrea also explored ways of enhancing ties in energy, mining, information technology, education and health, Information Minister Yemane Meskel said on Twitter late on Thursday.

Both sides will conduct a joint study to establish the logistical and transit opportunities presented by the Red Sea port of Massawa and its airport, TASS said.

Lavrov's visit to Africa coincides with others by senior U.S. officials, who are crisscrossing the continent to shore up ties with U.S. allies there.

Speaking when he met Lavrov's delegation on Thursday, Foreign Minister Osman blamed the crisis in Ukraine on what he described as the United States' "reckless policy of hegemony and containment" over a number of decades.

"The sad fact is that Ukraine is both a pretext and victim of this policy," Osman said during the speech delivered in Massawa.

There was no mention of the conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region, where Eritrean troops fought alongside their Ethiopian federal counterparts against rebellious Tigrayan forces.

A deal to end the fighting was signed last November but Eritrea was not party to the truce. Eritrean troops have started to leave some parts of Tigray, witnesses said.

(Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Additional reporting by Alex Winning in Johannesburg; Editing by James Macharia Chege, Nick Macfie and Andrew Heavens)

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Senior Eritrean delegation on working visit to Russia

Asmara, 27 April 2022- Senior Eritrean delegation composed of Mr. Osman Saleh, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Presidential Adviser Mr. Yemane Gebreab is on a two-day working visit to Russia on invitation of Mr. Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

At a meeting they held today, Foreign Minister Lavrov briefed the Eritrean delegation on the genesis of the conflict in Ukraine, the objectives of Russia and the current situation.

The Eritrean delegation on its part reiterated Eritrea’s principled position, including in a press statement, and called on Russia and Ukraine to find a bilateral solution to their conflict.

The two sides also exchanged views on the current situation in the Horn of Africa as well as the African continent at large.

Furthermore, Eritrea and Russia agreed on concrete measures to upgrade political, diplomatic, trade, investment as well as educational and cultural relations.

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Eritrean President Visits Russia

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has landed in Moscow for a four-day official visit to Russia, at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin.

The foreign and culture ministers are also on the trip, Information Minister Yemane Meskel says on Twitter.

Report says Eritrea and Russia enjoy cordial relations and Eritrea is one of the few countries that has voted against UN resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

President Isaias, who recently returned from an official visit to China, has ruled Eritrea since it won independence from neighbouring Ethiopia in 1993.

The country, a one-party state, and a highly militarised society, occupies a strategically important area in the Horn of Africa – and has never held a national election.

Mr. Isaias was greeted at the airport on his arrival by Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Mr. Yemane tweeted.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who is currently on African tour that started in Kenya on Monday, visited Eritrea in January.

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Russian FM meets Eritrean president during working visit

Lavrov, afwerki hold talks on boosting bilateral ties between 2 countries.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki on Thursday during a one-day working visit to the East African country.

Eritrea's Foreign Minister Osman Saleh and presidential adviser Yemane Gebreab were among other top government officials who met Lavrov and his high-level delegation when they arrived at the Massawa International Airport.

Russia's ambassador to Eritrea, Igor Mozgo, was also present there.

Lavrov was then taken under tight security to the president's residence in Asmara for bilateral talks.

According to a statement by Eritrea's Information Ministry, Lavrov and Afwerki discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations as well as regional developments of interest to the two countries.

The meeting was held behind closed doors.

Lavrov's trip to Eritrea marks a close to his Africa tour, which had earlier taken him to South Africa, Eswatini and Angola.

The top Russian diplomat is the first foreign dignitary to visit Eritrea in 2023 and also the first foreign minister from Russia to visit the Horn of Africa country.

Since 1993, when Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia, there have been diplomatic relations between the Horn of Africa country and Russia. The two nations enjoy generally friendly relations, with Russia providing Eritrea with some financial and military support over the years.

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Israel Faces Tough Balancing Act on Russia and the West

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu treads lightly with President Vladimir Putin. Russia is not responding in kind, with public criticism increasing.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wearing a dark suit and blue tie, stands with his hands folded in front of him. President Vladimir V. Putin, also wearing a dark suit, stands next to him.

By Steven Erlanger and Adam Sella

Steven Erlanger reported from Berlin, and Adam Sella from Tel Aviv.

Israel, though heavily dependent on support from the United States, Germany and other Western nations, has been noticeably out of step with them when it comes to relations with Russia during its war of conquest in Ukraine.

Long before Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7, the country refused Ukrainian requests to send arms or to apply widespread sanctions on Russia, including stopping flights to the country. Despite the eagerness of President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, himself Jewish, to visit the country and show solidarity after the attack, he has never made the trip.

The reasons reflect Israel’s unique security needs and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s delicate relationship with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, a primary supporter of Israel’s enemies in the region whom Israel cannot afford to offend.

As Israel’s war with Hamas enters its sixth month, Mr. Netanyahu needs Mr. Putin’s good will to help constrain Iran in particular and to continue to strike Iranian targets in Syria while trying to avoid harming the forces Russia maintains there.

So Mr. Netanyahu has consistently given the Russian leader wide latitude, even at the risk of alienating Israel’s main allies in Europe and the United States.

“Israel is playing on a delicate tightrope,” said Emmanuel Navon, the Israel-based executive director of ELNET Israel, a nongovernmental organization that seeks to strengthen diplomatic ties between Israel and Europe.

But even as Israel treads lightly when it comes to Russia, the relationship remains vastly lopsided. Mr. Putin has been a vocal critic of Israel, using condemnation of Israel’s war in Gaza to appeal to the Global South, a term for an informal group of developing and underdeveloped countries, some of whom have been critical of the United States, Europe and the current world order.

After Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, which Israeli authorities say killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, Mr. Putin said nothing for three days. Then, without expressing condolences for Israel or the victims, the Russian leader criticized the United States, calling Oct. 7 “a clear example of the failure of United States policy in the Middle East.”

Ever since, Russia has been vocal in condemning Israel’s war against Hamas, which has killed more than 31,000, including combatants, but a majority of the total are women and children, according to Gazan health authorities.

“When Oct. 7 rolled around, Putin found a ready-made issue, not to break relations with Israel, but to begin distancing” Russia from Israel, said Aaron David Miller, a former American diplomat at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

At the United Nations, Russia has questioned Israel’s right to self-defense and repeatedly called for a humanitarian cease-fire to halt Israel’s military campaign. Russia has also amplified pro-Hamas views online .

Russian officials have expressed sympathy or support for South Africa’s charge at the International Court of Justice that Israel is committing genocide, which Israel denies.

At the same time, Russia has also used the war in Gaza to defend its own war in Ukraine. The West, it argues, has been hypocritical to condemn Russia’s attacks on civilians in Ukraine while supporting what it considers to be similar Israeli attacks on civilians in Gaza.

In late October, Russia hosted a Hamas delegation in Moscow , which the Israeli foreign ministry called “reprehensible.” In late February, Russia hosted another Hamas delegation for a meeting of Palestinians in Moscow.

After a December call between Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Putin , which Mr. Miller of Carnegie said reflected the tension between the two nations, Mr. Netanyahu said he had criticized Russia for supporting Iran, while Mr. Putin said he had criticized Israel for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

In the past, Mr. Netanyahu had boasted of his excellent relationship with Mr. Putin and his self-described ability to deal with great powers. Now “that relationship is more of a liability than an advantage,” Mr. Miller said.

Just last Friday, the Russian ambassador to Tel Aviv, Anatoly Viktorov, was called to the Israeli Foreign Office to protest remarks by Russian officials at the United Nations casting doubt on a U.N. report supporting findings of sexual violence by Hamas. In early February , Russia summoned the Israeli ambassador to Moscow, Simona Halperin, over “unacceptable remarks” that they said distorted Russia’s foreign policy.

The deepening connection between Russia and Iran during the Ukraine war has also raised concerns for Israeli and American officials. Tehran has provided Moscow with drones, missiles and other weaponry.

Arkady Mil-Man, a former Israeli ambassador to Russia now at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said that Mr. Netanyahu appeared to ignore that “Israel is perceived as an enemy by the Russians.”

The relationship between Israel and Russia would only worsen, he said, because “the Russians chose a clearly anti-Israeli side.”

But Israel can hardly afford a break in relations.

A significant number of Israeli citizens emigrated from the former Soviet Union and made their lives in Israel. But Israel still has a stake in looking out for the Jewish population that remains in Russia. In late October, a mob stormed a Russian airport to search for Jews on an incoming flight from Israel.

“We want to maintain the door open,” said Sarah Fainberg, the director of Tel Aviv University’s research program on Russia and China’s role in the Middle East. It was important that the Jewish Agency, a nonprofit that helps Jews immigrate to Israel, remained operational in Russia, she said: “We want to be able to rescue this population in times of emergency.”

While antisemitism isn’t new in Russia, Ms. Fainberg said, Mr. Putin’s new antagonism toward Israel has raised concerns. “Formerly, we thought there was an antisemitic Russia but a pro-Jewish president,” she said. “Now things have changed.”

Steven Erlanger is the chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe and is based in Berlin. He has reported from over 120 countries, including Thailand, France, Israel, Germany and the former Soviet Union. More about Steven Erlanger

Our Coverage of the War in Ukraine

News and Analysis

Ahead of the U.S. elections, Russia is intensifying efforts to elevate candidates who oppose aid for Ukraine and support isolationism, disinformation experts say.

President Vladimir Putin said that claims Russia planned to invade other countries were “nonsense,” but warned them against hosting warplanes meant for Ukraine.

A large-scale Russian missile and drone attack damaged power plants and caused blackouts for more than a million Ukrainians in what Ukrainian officials said was one of the war’s largest assaults on energy infrastructure.

Symbolism or Strategy?: Ukrainians say that defending places with little strategic value is worth the cost in casualties and weapons , because the attacking Russians pay an even higher price. American officials aren’t so sure.

Elaborate Tales: As the Ukraine war grinds on, the Kremlin has created increasingly complex fabrications online to discredit Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, and undermine the country’s support in the West.

Targeting Russia’s Oil Industry: With its army short of ammunition and troops to break the deadlock on the battlefield, Kyiv has increasingly taken the fight beyond the Ukrainian border, attacking oil infrastructure deep in Russian territory .

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Eritrea: Supporting Russia to Stay in Power

Habtom Ghebrezghiabher is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, researching human rights, justice, and democratization by Eritrean exiles in their homeland.

Tesfazion Gerhelase is the founder and the leader of the Aga’azian movement, a popular Tigrinyan a national movement in Diaspora.

Eritrea is the only African country that voted against the United Nations General Assembly resolution demanding that Russia withdraw its military forces from Ukraine—a strong statement of support for Russia.

The intension behind this vote and the Eritrean regime’s support for Russia are part and parcel of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki’s decades-long anti-American policy—a key pillar of his dictatorship.

Positive Eritrean-American relations in the 1990s

After Eritrea established its independence in 1993, and before Afwerki transformed himself from a guerilla leader into an all-powerful despot, Eritrea and the United States had a friendly, constructive relationship . The United States actively supported Eritrea’s secession from Ethiopia, and Eritrea planned to implement neo-liberal economic policies.

Given Eritrea’s 600-mile coastline along the Red Sea and shared border with Sudan, the United States considered it a key state in its efforts to combat terrorism in the 1990s. The two countries cooperated to stabilize the Horn of Africa, and senior U.S. military generals visited Eritrea—including the commander of the U.S. Central Command, General Tommy Franks. President Afwerki also cultivated close ties with Israel and chose to receive medical care in Jerusalem. In Arab media outlets, he was frequently accused of allowing the Israeli navy to operate from the Dahlak Islands and maintain an intelligence gathering facility on top of a mountain range on the mainland.

Afwerki’s anti-American Campaign

Afwerki’s attitude shifted after the Eritrean-Ethiopian Border War in 1998. Though legislative elections had been scheduled, they were subsequently postponed indefinitely and the country’s prepared constitution was never implemented. During this period, Afwerki carried out a sweeping internal coup to consolidate an authoritarian regime . In response to growing pressures within his own ruling party—the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)—to make Eritrea’s political system more transparent and allow for greater freedom of expression, Afwerki dismantled the party’s leadership structures, arresting or exiling members of the central and executive committees, army commanders, business leaders, and the delegates to the National Assembly.

As a ruler repeatedly ranked as one of the world’s most authoritarian, Afwerki runs the country through the PFDJ he restructured and a system that indefinitely conscripts all Eritreans who are over 18 years old. He has placed tight restrictions on foreign aid and has repeatedly expelled foreign NGOs as part of his aggressive vision of "nation-building," a method of national indoctrination bent on isolating his country from outside influences. Moreover, he has intentionally strained relations with Eritrea’s neighbors—Ethiopia, Sudan, and Djibouti—as a means of directing internal frustrations towards external forces. Above all, Afwerki has hammered the Eritrean people with a clear message over the past two decides: the United States is Eritrea’s greatest threat.

In line with these shifts, President Afwerki supported Al-Shabab in Somalia and provided safe haven to a U.S.-designated terrorist, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, the founder of Somali Islamist group Hizb al-Islam. Afwerki likewise i nvited former Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir for his first trip abroad after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him due to his role in the Darfur genocide. Additionally, Afwerki regularly visited Qaddafi in Tripoli , in disregard of U.N.-imposed sanctions against Libya following the Lockerbie terrorist bombing. These actions led to the Obama administration’s sponsorship of the UN Security Council Resolution 1907 in 2009, imposing sanctions and an arms embargo against Eritrea—a resolution that Russia also voted to support.

In the ongoing civil war in Ethiopia, Afwerki sent his troops across the border to fight in Tigray , and turned down the Biden administration’s peace initiative, causing the U.S.-imposed unilateral sanctions in November 2021 .

Afwerki did not ease his anti-American rhetoric after t he Trump administration removed the sanctions on Eritrea in 2018 following Afwerki’s peace deal with the Ethiopian Prime minister—but the Trump administration’s actions undermined Afwerki’s anti-American propaganda among Eritreans. When the Biden administration re-imposed sanctions on Eritrea, Afwerki’s narrative was strengthened. The matter of public approval is critical for Afwerki’s political survival.

The overwhelming majority of Eritrea’s population is concentrated around Asmara and its surrounding villages, known as the Hamassien. Afwerki’s legitimacy depends on the support of his army generals, who are predominantly from this region. These generals do not benefit from Eritrea’s economic resources. They support Afwerki because they perceive him as the only person capable of defending their country from the foreign threats he discusses incessantly. Sustaining this narrative and maintaining this support is critical for Afwerki’s political survival. Without these beliefs, the generals have little reason to back Afwerki.

Eritrea’s pro-Moscow Position

Eritrea has consistently adhered to pro-Russia positions on a wide range of issues, despite lacking notable security or economic ties with Moscow. In 2014, Eritrea was the first country to send its foreign minister to Crimea after Russia annexed the peninsula. Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin chose to ignore Afwerki’s offer for a base in the port of Assab following the departure of UAE's forces in April 2021, preferring instead to press ahead with his effort to obtain a base at Port Sudan that June. This decision underscores Afwerki’s desire to maintain animosity towards the United States and avoid foreign interference in his repressive internal policies, which is particularly important for his domestic agenda.

The U.S. sanctions fuel this narrative and fit into Afwerki’s isolationist agenda. The sanctions target the Eritrean army, Eritrea’s sole political party (the PFDJ), and most importantly—the Red Sea Trading Corporation (RSTC), the only company permitted to import and export goods, including food and medicine. The sanctions hurt Eritreans, who understand that their economic suffering is a direct result of Eritrea’s financial isolation. However, Afwerki and pro-regime media have framed this condition as the result of antagonistic U.S. actions, successfully convincing Eritreans of this narrative.

U.S. Policy Towards Eritrea

The United States needs Eritrea to promote security and stability in Ethiopia, Sudan, Djibouti, and Yemen, yet as of now, Afwerki maintains contact with the Houthis and refuses to condemn their attacks against Saudi Arabia and the UAE. America’s effort to stabilize the region over the last three decades has failed partly because of Afwerki’s hostility and subversion . At present, he is arming and training disgruntled tribes in east Sudan , maintaining Eritrean forces in Ethiopia and flirting with Iran .

Notably, the MV Saviz, an Iranian military vessel, used to be stationed in Eritrean waters to coordinate Iranian activities in the Red Sea and Yemen against Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Israel. Israel reportedly attacked the vessel in April 2021, causing the Eritrean regime to accuse Israel of violating its sovereignty.

The U.S. cannot ignore Eritrea's role in this volatile region. And after over a decade of sanctions against Eritrea, the U.S. should sincerely consider whether they have proven productive. There is an argument to be made that these sanctions strengthen Afwerki’s intensifying campaign to blame America for Eritrea’s hardship, and therefore do not benefit America’s interests in the region.

The administration’s priority when it comes to dealing with Eritrea should be to ease the current sanctions. When the Trump administration removed the sanctions on Eritrea, Afwerki’s rhetoric continued, but its justification came under question. When the Biden administration reimposed sanctions, the regime’s narrative was strengthened. It is critical to undermine Afwerki’s anti-American rhetoric; easing sanctions is a crucial step towards that goal.

To do this successfully, the administration should explain that the sanctions aimed to harm the government, not the people. Such messaging is critical given the acute suffering that the sanctions have exacted on Eritreans. This is likely the only way to refute Afwerki’s propaganda that the U.S. is the enemy and that barricading in a hermit state is the sole path to safety.

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Humeyra Pamuk is a senior foreign policy correspondent based in Washington DC. She covers the U.S. State Department, regularly traveling with U.S. Secretary of State. During her 20 years with Reuters, she has had postings in London, Dubai, Cairo and Turkey, covering everything from the Arab Spring and Syria's civil war to numerous Turkish elections and the Kurdish insurgency in the southeast. In 2017, she won the Knight-Bagehot fellowship program at Columbia University’s School of Journalism. She holds a BA in International Relations and an MA on European Union studies.

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Eritrea-Russia joint Military drill on the Red Sea

Russia sent a military ship to the Red Sea for the joint military drill

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Toronto – Eritrea and Russia are reportedly having a joint naval drill on the Red Sea. RT, a Russian news source, this week cited Russian Ambassador to Eritrea, Igor Mozgo, to report that “Russia has sent a military ship to participate in joint drills with Eritrea for the first time in the 30 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.”

The Ambassador is also cited as saying that ‘Marshal Shaposhnikov’ – “a modernized Udaloy-class destroyer of the Russian Navy commissioned in 1985 ” – has arrived on the Eritrean side of the Red Sea shore and will be staying for nine days.

According to RT reports, Russia had a two-day long joint military drill with China and Iran on the Gulf of Oman in mid March this year. Joint maneuvers, communication exercises, firing of high-caliber machine and small caliber artillery were among the exercises during the drill at this particular location.

The source unspecified the focus of the Eritrea-Russia naval drill.

The two countries have signed a cooperation agreement in a range of areas. Russia opened its embassy in Asmara in 1994.

Eritrean President Isaias Afeworki visited Russia in May 2023 and had a meeting with Russian president Vladmir Putin. Earlier this month, President Isaias sent a message of congratulation to President Putin on his landslide election win. “Your re-election to a fifth term is a resounding testimony to the progress that the Russian Federation has achieved under your watch,” President Isais said in his message.

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Russia to hold joint naval exercises with East African nation – envoy

Russia has sent a military ship to participate in joint drills with Eritrea for the first time in the 30 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Russia’s ambassador to the country, Igor Mozgo, announced on Thursday.

Mozgo stated that the Udaloy-class frigate ‘Marshal Shaposhnikov’ has arrived at the African country’s Port of Massawa and is scheduled to stay in Eritrea until April 5.

Russian sailors will participate in a series of joint events with the Eritrean Navy, according to a statement from the Russian ambassador.

On March 14, the Russian Navy concluded joint drills with their Chinese and Iranian counterparts in the Gulf of Oman. The ‘Marshal Shaposhnikov’ also participated in those exercises.

The Russian Defense Ministry revealed that during the two days of drills with the Iranian and Chinese navies, “Russian sailors practiced joint maneuvers and communication exercises, the firing of high-caliber machine guns, and small-caliber onboard artillery on surface and air targets by day and by night.”

Official diplomatic ties between Russia and Eritrea were established in 1993. Russia’s embassy in Asmara opened in 1994, while Eritrea opened an embassy in Moscow two years later.

Last May, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, who was in Russia on an official visit.

The leaders discussed the prospects for the development of Russian-Eritrean relations in various fields, as well as current regional and international issues. It was the first meeting between the two leaders.

Afwerki took part in the Russia-Africa Summit held in St. Petersburg last July. He also met with Putin on the sidelines of the summit.