The Central African Republic is interested in hosting a Russian military base on its territory, Leon Dodonu-Punagaza, the country’s ambassador to Moscow, told Izvestia.
“Our country was the first in Africa to resist the French (their military presence in the country. – Ed.). But now we need a Russian military base with 5,000 to 10,000 soldiers. At the same time, they could, if necessary, be used in other countries,” he said.
The CAR Ambassador emphasized that the presence of Russian military instructors in the country has strengthened the combat capability of the army, but security threats remain, so military-technical cooperation with Russia should continue.
“In some countries, this causes discontent. In recent weeks, when Russia delivered six military aircraft to us, it was the French who began to resent, yelling and yelling. But this is not our business, we are interested in cooperation with Russia,” he added.
He noted that issues of cooperation in terms of security will be discussed during the second Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg, where CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera intends to visit.
Last December, the last 130 French troops who were in the CAR as part of the MISLOG mission left the country.
Read more in an exclusive interview with Izvestia:
“We need a Russian military base”
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