Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised the relationship with Tanzania as continuing “strongly,” when he was welcoming his African counterpart, Samia Suluhu Hassan, for talks in Moscow on Wednesday.
Putin has noted that this year marks the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and added that trade between the two countries increased by 25 percent last year and emphasized that economic cooperation should continue to expand.
According to the Russian leader, opportunities for growth exist in various sectors, including energy, geological exploration, transport, logistics, health and education.
“(Bilateral relations) have always grown at a good and strong rate,” Putin said. He noted that the president of Tanzania chose Russia for his first visit abroad after taking office in November.
Samia also said that the visit was carried out “special importance” for him personally and for Tanzania. He noted that more than half a century had passed since the previous official visit, when Julius Nyerere, the first president of an African nation, traveled to the Soviet Union in 1969.
He also expressed gratitude for the role of Russia in the African liberation movement and stressed that Moscow has played an important role in the development of Tanzania for the past several decades.
“We (Tanzania) have been working with Russia until now and with the many developments we are talking about in my country, Russia has made a great contribution to it,” said the Tanzanian leader.
The talks have come after Tanzania hosted the third meeting of the Russian-Tanzanian Trade and Economic Cooperation Commission in May. In the session, the Minister of State, Office of the President, Planning and Investment, Kitila Alexander Mkumbo, said. “Promoting cooperation in the agricultural sector can make a significant contribution to food security and job creation.”
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