"During the talks, a positive trend in the development of bilateral military and military-technical cooperation was noted. The parties discussed in detail the existing cooperation projects, the international situation, regional security issues, and also noted the importance of Russian-Central African ties in the defense sphere," the ministry told reporters.
The sides also confirmed their readiness to continue constructive interactions.
Russian presence in CAR has been growing since 2017, when CAR President Faustin Archange Touadera met with Russian Foreign Minster Sergey Lavrov and, a year later, with President Vladimir Putin. In 2021, Russian private military group Wagner was reportedly engaged in the fight against CAR rebels, playing an instrumental role in driving them away from the country's capital.
The relations were further solidified in 2019, when Russia hosted the first Russia-Africa Summit and Economic Forum in the resort city of Sochi. The participating states outlined priority areas for economic cooperation with the aim of achieving concrete goals in the coming years. These cover Russian-African cooperation in a variety of fields, including politics, security, the economy, science, technology, culture and military.
In late October, Putin said it was necessary to continue working on the development of trade, economic and humanitarian relations with African countries, mentioning that Russia was planning to hold the second Russia-Africa summit in 2023 in Saint-Petersburg.