"Thank you, my friend," Embalo told Putin in Russian at a plenary session of the second Russia-Africa Summit.
He added that Guinea-Bissau had identified priority areas for cooperation with Russia.
"The Guinea-Bissau delegation arrived in St. Petersburg having done its homework at home. We have identified cooperation in three main areas of importance to Guinea-Bissau as our next priorities — education, youth and sports; mining, especially energy resources; infrastructure; and fisheries," Embalo said at the Russia-Africa Summit.
Vladimir Putin greets Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo
© Sputnik / Pavel Bednyakov
/ St. Petersburg, formerly known as Leningrad, is inextricably linked to history, Embalo added.
"This city, during the brutal battles of World War II, inspired people all over the world who later also rose up to fight for the liberation of their nations," Embalo said.
The government of Guinea-Bissau will cooperate with the Russian authorities in both bilateral and multilateral formats, Embalo concluded.