UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd June, 2023) Russia has increased its contributions to counter piracy and armed robberies along the coast of Western Africa, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Maria Zabolotskaya said.
"The Russian Federation has increased its contribution to countering piracy and armed robbery at sea at the western coast of Africa," Zabolotskaya said during a meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
Russia has also been making voluntary contributions to the UN Office of Drugs and Crime, she added.
Senior Russian officials have recently said that Moscow was increasing financial assistance to coastal states in the Gulf of Guinea from the country's annual voluntary contribution to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, so they can boost their naval capabilities.
Among the 90 global incidents of piracy and armed robbery reported between January and September 2022, 13 were registered in the Gulf of Guinea region, compared to 27 for the same period in 2021, according to the Geneva Center for Security Policy.
