Russia woos Namibia
2009-06-25 20:04
Windhoek - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, making the first visit by a Kremlin chief to Namibia, stressed the need for further cooperation in nuclear energy and other areas Thursday.
Medvedev, on an African tour focusing on business, spoke to reporters as he finished a two-day visit to this southern African country. Diamond-rich Namibia is concerned about how it will be affected by the global economic crisis.
Its diamond sector has been hit hard, but uranium mining was expected to grow along with the international nuclear energy industry.
Russia is a major builder of nuclear power plants and producer of nuclear fuel.
Medvedev, speaking after he met with Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba, said discussion concerned expanding cooperation, especially in uranium mining. He described Namibia as an important economic partner in trade, energy and fisheries.
He was accompanied to Namibia by more than 300 Russian officials, including some from state diamond monopoly Alrosa, natural gas giant Gazprom as well as uranium miner AMRZ.
Medvedev and Pohamba concluded three major agreements on trade, fisheries and petroleum products.
Pohamba told reporters Namibia want to benefit from Russia's economic know-how.
Medvedev began his tour of the continent in Egypt on Tuesday, then visited Nigeria and heads to Angola on Friday.
It was the second Russian presidential visit to sub-Saharan Africa and the first in more than three years.
Africa was a major battlefield in the Cold War, but lost importance for Russia after the Soviet Union collapsed, and the current volume of trade is small.
- SAPA