Moscow plans to open an embassy in Sierra Leone by the end of 2024, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday after meeting his counterpart from the West African nation, Timothy Musa Kabba. 

During a press conference in Moscow, Lavrov emphasized that the decision has already been made to establish a new Russian mission in Freetown, and that both parties are working on the details. 

He further announced that the nations’ respective governments are considering collaboration on nuclear energy, including the potential construction of a facility in Sierra Leone.  

“We have agreed that the relevant government departments of Sierra Leone will formulate additional requests for Russian investors in various sectors, including the potential for cooperation in nuclear energy and peaceful [atomic industry] in non-energy sectors,” Lavrov said. 

The diplomat also noted that Freetown is keen on collaborating with Moscow on healthcare, and that Sierra Leone has shown interest in Russian investment for mutually beneficial projects. 

“The humanitarian sphere has traditionally been one of the priorities,” Lavrov added. 

Speaking in Russian, Kabba offered his congratulations to Russian President Vladimir Putin on his “convincing” election victory and recent inauguration, and wished the nation “further prosperity.” 

The previous meeting between the two countries’ top diplomats was in 2021, when then-Sierra Leonean Foreign Minister David John Francis visited Moscow and held talks with Lavrov.  

Russia and Sierra Leone established diplomatic relations in 1962.   

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