Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday defended the need to «intensify cooperation» with the Central African Republic (CAR) amid Western allegations of the deployment of Wagner Group mercenaries to support army operations against the rebels.
Putin has held a conversation with his Central African counterpart, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, in which both have advocated strengthening this cooperation «in the political, economic and commercial fields, including the fuel and energy sector,» according to a Kremlin statement.
It also revealed that the two «agreed to continue cooperation to strengthen the sovereignty, security and stability of CAR», before stressing that Touadéra «showed his gratitude for the various assistance provided by Russia to the country».
«While exchanging views on the issue of food security, Putin reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to contribute to providing agricultural products and fertilizers to countries on the African continent,» the Kremlin reiterated in its statement, published on its website.
Touadéra has repeatedly defended the deployment of Russian forces in the country to support army operations against the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) and stressed that they are not members of the Wagner Group, founded by an oligarch close to Putin.
The Wagner Group has sent mercenaries to several African countries in recent years – among them Mali, Libya and CAR – which has raised suspicions among several Western countries, especially the United States and France, about Moscow’s involvement in several conflicts on the continent.
