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 Eritrea |  Russia |
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Eritrea andRussia relations are diplomatic relations between the State of Eritrea and the Russian Federation. Russia has an embassy inAsmara and Eritrea has itsown inMoscow.[1] Eritrean presidentIsaias Afwerki has been a supporter of theRussian invasion of Ukraine since 2022.[2]
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on May 24, 1993. In July 2000 and February 2003, humanitarian aid was delivered to Eritrea by aircraft of theRussian Emergencies Ministry.[citation needed]
The Russian Embassy inAsmara has been operating since June 1994, the Eritrean Embassy in Moscow opened two years later in June 1996.[citation needed]
In 2010, President Isaias received Russian special envoyMikhail Margelov for a meeting, where he criticized U.S. policies in the region and the "uni-polar balance of force".[3] In 2018, Russia and Eritrea announced their intentions to build alogistics center in an unnamed Eritrean port city.[4]
Along withBelarus, andNorth Korea, Eritrea was one of only four countries not including Russia to vote against aUnited Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia's2022 invasion of Ukraine.[5] However, Eritrea abstained from voting on the UN resolution pertaining to theterritorial integrity of Ukraine, which was held in response to the2022 annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine.[6] In 2023, Eritrea's PresidentIsaias Afwerki voiced support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[7]
In January 2023, the Russia foreign ministerSergey Lavrov and senior advisors traveled to Eritrea meeting with President Afwerki, the Eritrean foreign minister and other senior officials. Afwerki visited Russia on an official state visit in spring of 2023, the first in the history of Russia-Eritrea relations. Both Eritrean and Russian leaders held talks.[8][9] Afwerki returned to Russia later that summer, attending the2023 Russia–Africa Summit inSaint Petersburg.[10]
In March 2024, theRussian Navy sent thePacific Fleet vesselsVaryag andMarshal Shaposhnikov to theRed Sea.[11] On 29 March, the Eritrean Ministry of Information released photos of theMarshal Shaposhnikov at the port ofMassawa and revealed that the vessels were sent to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries and will leave on 5 April. The decision to send the vessels to the Red Sea sparked speculation from Western media since it occurred during theRed Sea crisis.[12]
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