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 Guinea-Bissau |  Russia |
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Guinea-Bissau–Russia relations are thebilateralforeign relations betweenGuinea-Bissau andRussia.
Relations between the Soviet Union and theAfrican Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), led byAmílcar Cabral, began in the 50th anniversary year of the establishment of the USSR, and intensified in 1961, when training and arming of the party began. In 1965, the first group of 75 PAIGC leaders began training at a Soviet military school inPerevalne, where they were taught skills in the manufacture and use of explosives andguerrilla tactics.[1]
TheSoviet Union and Guinea-Bissau establisheddiplomatic relations on 6 October 1973.[2] In 1973, the Soviets began to supply the PAIGC withStrela-2ground-to-air missiles for use inits war with thePortuguese.[3][4] On 21 February 1975, a number of agreements were signed by the two states, covering economic, technical, cultural and scientific co-operation, a trade agreement and anair services agreement.[5] From 1974 to 1983, Soviet Union was the sole supplier of arms to Guinea-Bissau.[6]
After a visit byAmílcar Cabral to Moscow in 1961, the Soviets formally established ties with the armed revolutionary groupAfrican Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). The Soviets gave weaponry to PAIGC guerrillas, includingbazookas,rocket-propelled grenades,AK-47 rifles, and eventually (shortly after the assassination of Amílcar Cabral) Strela-2 missiles.[7] The Soviets also provided guerrilla-warfare training for PAIGC fighters atPerevalne, Ukraine, as well as training for nurses.[7] On February 21, 1975, the Soviets and Bussau-Guineans signed a bilateral accord providing for close ties; as part of the agreement,Aeroflot flew Bissau-Guinean students to the Soviet Union for training and education.[7] Between 1973 and 1992, about 3,000 young Bissau-Guineans studied on scholarships in the Soviet Union; an additional 3,000 scholarships came from Cuba, and 61 from East Germany.[7] Many other such cultural, economic, and technical treaties were signed between the two nations.[8] Soviet-Guinea-Bissau ties weakened after the USSR began to collapse in 1991.[7] The "huge stockpile of Soviet-made weapons and ammunition" in the county fell into the hands of rebels led byAnsumane Mané during theGuinea-Bissau Civil War (1998–1999).[7]
On 31 December 1991, Guinea Bissau recognised theRussian Federation as thesuccessor state of the Soviet Union, after the latter'sdissolution.[9] Guinea-Bissau has anembassy in Moscow, and Russia has anembassy in Bissau. Russian citizens and embassy staff were evacuated from Guinea-Bissau in 1998 due to fighting between government and rebel forces.[10]Mikhail Valinsky was appointedAmbassador of Russia to Guinea-Bissau byRussian presidentDmitry Medvedev on 1 December 2008.[11] The current Ambassador of Guinea-Bissau to Russia isRogério Araújo Adolfo Herbert, who presented hisLetter of Credence to then-President of RussiaBoris Yeltsin on 14 August 1997.[12]
In August 2001, Russia forgave eighty percent of Guinea-Bissau's debt, which was reported to be valued atUS$178 million.[13]
Mr Helbert was held hostage in the embassy in Moscow in January 2005 by students from Guinea-Bissau who were protesting at their stipends not being paid.[14]
On 1 March 2009,João Bernardo Vieira, thePresident of Guinea-Bissau was assassinated by a group ofGuinea-Bissauan soldiers. Russia condemned the assassination, and in noting its solidarity with the views of theAfrican Union, theRussian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated it is "against the forceful change of power".[15]
In May 2024, Guinea-Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo was the highest ranking African politician attending RussianVictory Day parade in Moscow.[16]
On February 26, 2025,Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Guinea-Bissau's PresidentUmaro Sissoco Embalo inMoscow, signaling Russia's growing economic and security ties with Africa. Russian tycoonOleg Deripaska attended the talks, with reports suggesting Russian aluminium giantRusal is interested in Guinea-Bissau'sbauxite resources and infrastructure projects.[17]
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