Education in the likeness: doctors from Russia will help colleagues in Mauritania

Russia and Mauritania are ready to increase economic cooperationyou can do it first due to direct contacts between the business structures of the two countries, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after meeting with President of the Islamic Republic Mohamed Ould Ghazwani. Fishing remains the hallmark of cooperation between states – the parties discussed the creation of favorable conditions for the work of Russian seiners in the special economic zone of Mauritania. Moscow also plans to send additional doctors there for educational purposes. In what other areas can the parties intensify contacts – in the material of Izvestia.

The last stronghold of slavery

Nouakchott means “where the wind blows” in Berber. A city of contrasts: children begging in droves from “wealthy” visitors, against the backdrop of European coffee houses adjacent to dilapidated barracks.

The visit of the Russian minister here is a truly historic event. The countries established diplomatic relations in 1964, but this is the first official visit of a Russian delegation to the republic.

Mauritania is the last country to abolish slavery. This happened in 1981 – at that time more than 40% of the population were slaves. However, even after the official abolition, they continue to be almost a fifth of the 3 million population. Their main occupation is housekeeping, caring for livestock and cultivating the land. They do not receive any payment for their work – only food and a roof over their heads. As noted by various human rights organizations, the thing is that these people do not have access to education. The complexity is also in the nature of the country – in the desert it is not so easy to escape from its “owner”. Authorities deny the existence of this relic.

Investment in the future

One of the poorest countries on the continent has yet to recover from years of French colonialismaccording to the UN, hundreds of thousands of citizens suffer from hunger.

Wherein the basis of the economy of Mauritania is fishing – almost 60% of exports are occupied by seafood. And Moscow is interested in strengthening cooperation in this area – Russian sailors annually catch more than a hundred thousand tons of horse mackerel in local waters.

— We thanked our friends for their consistently positive attitude towards this work and for a promise to continue creating favorable conditions for our fishermen in the future– Sergey Lavrov said after a meeting with Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazwani.

Mauritania’s main industry is iron ore mining. There are also deposits of gold, gypsum, oil. Russia participated in the exploration of mineral resources of the republic.

During a press conference with his Mauritanian colleague Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, Sergei Lavrov noted the importance of searching for new areas of cooperation, so the countries agreed to create a working group to improve trade and economic cooperation. Experts will prepare specific proposals for infrastructure, the production of goods in Mauritania and the development of minerals.

– Of course, we want to diversify our ties, expand them to other areas, primarily in the field of mining, healthcareLavrov stressed.

Also coming soon Russian specialists will arrive here to train doctors in Mauritania. Moscow has repeatedly sent health experts to the republic to improve the situation in this area.

Despite the favorable attitude of the countries of the black continent towards Russia, which they do not associate with the colonial past, it will be difficult for Moscow to compete here with investors who have already “staken out” their placeexperts say. So, for example, a large share of the Mauritanian exports of iron, copper, seafood falls on China. The same is with imports – China is in the lead – it supplies oil products and food here.

Andrey Maslov, an expert of the Valdai Club and director of the Center for African Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, noted that the weight of African countries in international markets is steadily growing. They consistently take a neutral position in relation to the conflict between the West and Russia, and Moscow appreciates this..

— Russia earns on the export to Africa of grain, food, energy, fertilizers, metals, wood products and much more. Russian exports to Africa approach $20 billion a year and exceed imports by several times, – the expert noted in an interview with Izvestia. – Russia can help Africa if it gains a foothold and increases its presence in African markets: it will invest in infrastructure for importing goods, in grain storage, in transport and logistics, in personnel, financial institutions and flexible tools to ensure payments for imports.

At the end of his speech, Sergey Lavrov recalled the upcoming Russia-Africa summit, which will be held in July 2023 in St. Petersburg. The minister called the leadership of Mauritania to it.

— We have a common understanding of the need to build up economic ties, primarily direct contacts between our business structures. In this context, Mauritanian economic operators are interested in active participation in the Russia-Africa business forum, the chief of Russian diplomacy summed up.

The main topics of the meeting will be technology transfer, food security, health and education.