 Central African Republic |  Russia |
|---|---|
| Envoy | |
| Amabssador Leon Dodonu-Punagaza[1] | AmabssadorAlexander Bikantov [ru][2] |
Central African Republic–Russia relations are thebilateral relations between theCentral African Republic andRussia. Both countries established diplomatic relations on 7 December 1960[3] Relations have been historically strained especially under theSoviet Union, however the countries have become close allies since the rise of PresidentFaustin-Archange Touadéra.[4]
The Central African Republic has anembassy in theTroparyovo-Nikulino District ofMoscow. Russia has anembassy inBangui.
The Central African Republic took part inthe boycott of the1980 Summer Olympics inMoscow.[5]
In 2014, The Central African Republic joined most of the world in voting in favor ofUnited Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262, which was in condemnation of theAnnexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.
In March 2018, Russia agreed to provide free military aid to the Central African Republic, sending small arms, ammunition, and 175 instructors to train theCentral African Armed Forces.[6] The advisers are believed to be members of theWagner Group.[7] It was Russia's largest military deployment to Africa since the end of theCold War and thecollapse of the Soviet Union.[8] As of January 2019[update], the CAR is considering hosting aRussian Armed Forces base.[9] A former Russian intelligence official has been installed by the Central African president as his top security adviser.[10]
On November 14, 2022, the Central African Republic sided with the Russian Federation on a UN General Assembly vote calling for Russia to pay war reparations to Ukraine.[11]
In 2023, PresidentFaustin-Archange Touadéra expressed support for Russian involvement in Ukraine.[12]
In 2023, the Central African Republic was one of 14 countries to vote against A/C.3/78/L.42 titled "Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol."[13]
The Central African Republic is one of six African countries to be part of the free Russian grain deal. The other five countries areSomalia, and four other allies along with the Central African Republic. These four allies areBurkina Faso,Eritrea,Mali, andZimbabwe.[14]
"At the request of the Central African Republic's president, Russia decided to provide the country with free military aid," he said. According to him, with the consent of the United Nations Security Council committee, the Russian Defense Ministry handed a batch of small arms and ammunition to the armed forces of the Central African Republic and sent five military and 170 civilian instructors to train the country's military servicemen.
Then, in March 2018, the Kremlin issued a statement that 170 "civilian advisors" (widely understood to mean Wagner forces) had arrived in the CAR to train government forces. At the end of July, another 500 alleged Wagner fighters appeared on the Sudan-CAR border.
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| Americas | ||
| Asia | ||
| Europe | ||
| Multilateral relations | ||
| Diplomatic missions | ||
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