Martin Plaut posted: " "According to the ambassador, Eritrea's position on the presence of foreign military bases on its territory remains unchanged after President Isaias Afwerki's visit to Moscow – the country is not interested in the deployment of such facilities." Eritr" Martin Plaut

"According to the ambassador, Eritrea's position on the presence of foreign military bases on its territory remains unchanged after President Isaias Afwerki's visit to Moscow – the country is not interested in the deployment of such facilities."

Eritrean President to Attend Russia–Africa Summit, Ambassador Says

The Second Summit Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum will take place in St. Petersburg from July 27-28.The First Russia-Africa Summit and Economic Forum was held in the Russian resort city of Sochi in October 2019.

© Sputnik . Alexey Maishev

 In late May, during Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki's visit to Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended an invitation to his Eritrean counterpart to attend the second Russia–Africa Summit to be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, on July 27-28.

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki plans to attend the second Russia–Africa summit to be held in St. Petersburg on July 27-28, Asmara's Ambassador to Moscow Petros Tseggai Asghedom told Sputnik in an interview.

"Mr. Afwerki has accepted the invitation [of Russian President Vladimir Putin] and plans to come to the summit," Tseggai said.

He added that among the expected agenda items are international security issues and the problem of the arms race in outer space.

In early June, in an exclusive interview with Sputnik Africa, the Eritrean President said that the upcoming Second Russia–Africa Summit, which will be attended by all African leaders, might serve as a platform to discuss "how could governments and nations in Africa engage to promote this partnership that will change the quality of life and enable African peoples to enjoy the resources they have by designing and implementing programs for development."

At the meeting in May, Afwerki and Putin reached agreements on international security and military cooperation. The import of Russian grain to the country was probably also discussed, and the results of these agreements will be seen in the near future, the ambassador said.

Earlier, Putin said when meeting with the Eritrean leader that Moscow and Asmara intend to ink a number of intergovernmental agreements, and that the two countries have good prospects for cooperation in many areas.

During the meeting of the heads of state, certain agreements were reached in many areas. For example, in the sphere of culture, international security, military cooperation, and many others, Tsegay said, adding that it is too early to talk about concrete results, but "the results will be visible in the near future".

According to the diplomat, the two leaders had an extensive agenda during the gathering, that touched upon all major issues, including the issue of direct grain supplies. He stressed that the countries are at the beginning of an extensive "road of long, fruitful cooperation".

In particular, the ambassador said that Eritrea was currently interested in studying the issues of prioritizing products for delivery. He added that time will tell how the relations between the two countries will develop in this direction.

Western Pressure Over Ties With Russia

The United States is trying to vilify and demonize Eritrea and its leadership because of its support for Russia and for the African country's desire to go its own way, Washington supports organizations that oppose the interests of Asmara, according to the Eritrean envoy to Moscow.

He added that Eritrea has been under pressure for more than 80 years.

Earlier, Eritrea's foreign minister said after talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that Asmara is under constant pressure from Washington because of its support for Moscow's position, but the African nation won't succumb to it.

According to the ambassador, in light of recent events, such as the meeting between the leaders of Eritrea and Russia in May, there is a growing tendency to increase pressure on Eritrea by expanding sanctions and supporting organizations that oppose its interests.

According to the ambassador, Eritrea's position on the presence of foreign military bases on its territory remains unchanged after President Isaias Afwerki's visit to Moscow – the country is not interested in the deployment of such facilities.

Continuing to Engage with Moscow

Petros Tseggai also announced that Eritrea and Russia are planning to exchange delegations in the near future. During these meetings, the two sides will explore the potential for establishing business contacts.

The Eritrean ambassador admitted that the current level of business contacts between the two countries is low, but assured that efforts are being made to improve this situation.

"Once certain mechanisms of interstate cooperation are in place, we can expect an increase in business agenda activity," he said.

The ambassador hoped that Russian companies would participate in oil exploration in his country. He stressed that the current oil reserves in Eritrea have not been fully explored and called for further research and exploration.

The envoy highlighted the visits by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Asmara and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki to Moscow, and hoped that these visits would lead to the assistance of Russian companies in resolving this issue.

Although no substantive discussions have yet taken place, the ambassador expressed optimism that work in this area of bilateral relations would begin soon.