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Russia’s F/Minister Lavrov meets Eritrean president on Africa tour

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.

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.

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. — Al Jazeera And News Agen­cies

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