The Central African Republic (CAR) wants to see more Russian investment in its national economy, especially health care and education, CAR Foreign Minister Sylvie Baipo-Temon told Sputnik on Saturday
ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th June, 2019) The Central African Republic (CAR) wants to see more Russian investment in its national economy, especially health care and education, car Foreign Minister Sylvie Baipo-Temon told Sputnik on Saturday."It's important that CAR can induce a certain amount of investment to boost its development and finally get out of this crisis ... Russia can help and I'd even say it must help ... Africa does not yet have a satisfactory trade rates on the world market and it's important that Russia is more present on the African continent and notably CAR to create win-win partnerships," Baipo-Temon said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
She noted that CAR was especially interested in Russian investments in national priority goals such as health care and education.
"We already have military cooperation, but we need to establish framework for economic cooperation in different spheres, like health, education, agriculture. We have a national development plan ... which gives a range of perspectives and opportunities for Russian investors," the minister added.
According to Baipo-Temon, greater presence in CAR will also provide Russian investors with an opportunity to reach out to other countries in the region.
"[CAR's] geographical position allows the investors to access larger central African market, millions of customers ... We insist that the Russian authorities should not hesitate to join us in this plea to encourage Russian investors and businessmen to come [to] discover opportunities CAR has to offer," she pointed out.
CAR, however, still needs Russian assistance in military training as the country prepares to implement the hard-won peace deal between the government and militant groups.
"The support of Russia is wanted and expected by CAR. It can help with what it's been doing already, but by further expanding [military] training. Under the peace agreement we have units to ensure security at the borders, we need support for setting up this unit. These units will be there for two years so we need support of the friendly states ... We want the start of establishing these units to be successful, so we need support in terms of training and also financing of these units," she added.
In 2017, CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera requested Russian leader Vladimir Putin to provide assistance in arming the country's armed forces. With a sanction of the UN Security Council, Russia has supplied weapons to the CAR armed and security forces. As part of bilateral military cooperation, the two countries have also set up an army training center in Berengo, where around 1,300 CAR soldiers have already been trained.
SPIEF is an annual Russian business event held in St. Petersburg since 1997. This year, the forum is taking place from June 6-8. Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency is an official media partner of the forum.
