Conversation with President of Eritrea Isaias Afwerki
A meeting took place in the Kremlin between Vladimir Putin and the President of the State of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki, on the sidelines of the Russia–Africa Summit.
October 30, 2026, 21:45, Moscow, Kremlin
V. Putin: Mr. President, dear friends, good evening!
I am very glad to see you. I would like to thank you right away for your participation in the Russia–Africa Summit. In my view, thanks in part to your involvement, we have achieved good results. Today, we have the opportunity to discuss our bilateral relations.
As for Russian-Eritrean relations, they are developing. Naturally, we should pay greater attention to trade and economic cooperation and discuss measures to boost trade turnover. We see prospects in areas such as energy, the mining industry, infrastructure, agriculture, and fisheries. We are providing assistance in strengthening your food security.
Russia and Eritrea share common positions on many pressing issues on the international agenda. And, of course, we are grateful to you, Mr. President, for supporting Russian initiatives at the United Nations and on other multilateral platforms. We take note of this, and I want to say that we truly value it. Once again, thank you for this joint effort.
We have already had productive interactions during the summit events. And, as I mentioned, I am pleased that we now have the chance to discuss our bilateral ties and their further development.
Thank you.
I. Afwerki (as translated): It is a great honor for me to see you again, Mr. President. I see that you are still full of energy and actively participating in these meetings. For someone like me, it is fascinating to observe such a strong individual—and to see that Russia remains a powerful nation, continuing to contribute to the development of relations with African states.
What I found particularly interesting was the presentation you gave after the opening session, outlining various avenues for cooperation; it was truly compelling. You shared a great deal about potential collaboration, which I found both inspiring and encouraging. It is clear that Mr. Putin has a deep grasp of these issues and is genuinely committed to cooperation.
Naturally, with the Russia–Africa Summit currently underway, I would like to put forward a few proposals and share my perspective on developments in Africa.
Africa holds immense opportunities—a fact we must acknowledge and consider alongside the available potential, including resources, technologies, and industrial infrastructure.
I believe Russia has a major role to play; across Africa, there is a firm belief that Russia can make a substantial and significant contribution to the development of our continent. Therefore, I would like to propose the establishment of a clear set of guidelines for engagement with each African nation, so that we may begin to define a comprehensive range of programs across various areas of cooperation.
