Russian warship pays first visit to African state (PHOTOS)

Moscow’s embassy in Cameroon says the trip is a sign of strengthening bilateral cooperation

The Russian Navy ship Smolny has docked at Cameroon’s largest port, Douala, as part of an Atlantic tour, Moscow’s embassy in the central African country announced on Thursday.

The Baltic Fleet training ship’s visit marks the first time a Russian military vessel has entered Cameroonian waters, the embassy said on its Telegram channel. The mission described the expedition as a “historic” event, opening a new chapter in defense ties between the two countries. It coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Moscow and Yaounde.

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Sergey Ustinov, Charge d’Affaires of Russia in Cameroon, welcomed the warship’s crew and cadets, saying the trip demonstrates Moscow and Yaounde’s “mutual desire to deepen bilateral cooperation in the interests of strengthening international peace and security.”

The press service of the Baltic Fleet has said the goal of the long-range sea voyage is to conduct maritime training for more than 300 cadets of naval educational institutions run by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Late last month, Smolny made an unofficial detour in Cape Town, South Africa, after previously making stops in Cuba and Venezuela’s major port city of La Guaira.

Earlier this month, Kruzenshtern, a training ship operated by the Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo), also arrived at the Moroccan port of Agadir as part of a Great African Expedition. Rosrybolovstvo launched the mission on August 21, with the goal of conducting marine biology research along the coasts of 18 African countries, including Cameroon, in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans up to the end of this year.