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BRICS ON THE MOVE
Chad President in Moscow, Received Pledges of Assistance from Putin
26 January 2024
EIRNS—During his official visit to Moscow, Chad’s interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Jan. 24, to mark their countries’ 60 years of relations. During the meeting, the Chadian President said that he hoped his “historic” visit to Moscow would help strengthen bilateral relations between Chad and Russia. This is Deby’s first trip to Russia. Expressing condolences for the loss of Russian lives in the crash of the Il-76 military aircraft in Russia’s Belgorod region, Deby said, “I have heard about the airplane crash, and I would like to offer my condolences in connection with the death of Russian soldiers on my own behalf and on behalf of our people.” Putin for his part pledged assistance. “Representatives of Chad took part in the last Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg. A substantial package of documents is being prepared, with a view to strengthening and expanding our legal framework. I hope that our colleagues will complete this work in the near future.” Putin further stated: "We have great opportunities to expand our bilateral ties. We are trying to provide support to your country at the UN, including humanitarian support, as you know. We intend to continue to do so. “Our humanitarian ties are also growing. We have doubled the quota for students from Chad to study in the Russian Federation with government grants, and we are ready to double it again in the next two years. As we have seen, interest [in Russian education] is growing among your young people. And we will be happy to cooperate in all these areas. Putin also referred to Russia’s concern over the terrorist attacks that Chad is suffering and expressed condolences for the death of Deby’s father, Idriss Deby, in a terror attack. “We are glad that you have managed to stabilize the situation in the country. We will contribute to this in every possible way.” [dea] |