A SENSATION IS BREWING. THE SECRET OF THE VISIT OF ONE PRESIDENT TO PUTIN

On the last day of spring, an event took place, the true meaning of which may not appear immediately. On May 31, President Vladimir Putin met and held talks in the Kremlin with Eritrean President Isaias Afeworki, who arrived in Russia on his first official visit. This early independence politician, who studied military science in China in the late 1960s and is considered a dictator in the West for refusing to obey, has something in common with Putin. They are the record holders for the length of time in power (Afeworki has ruled Eritrea since 1993 and has not lost his post even during the period of the most severe international sanctions), as well as the Orthodox.

The President of Eritrea, who is six years older than Putin, belongs to the Eritrean Orthodox Church. This ancient Eastern Orthodox Church is actively supported by the authorities of this proud and warlike country, which achieved independence from Addis Ababa 30 years ago. In Eritrea, where Muslims also live, they are proud, as in neighboring Ethiopia, of the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, claiming to be the homeland of his African ancestors. In the capital Asmara, a monument was unveiled to him in 2002, and the works of the brilliant Russian poet were included in the curriculum of secondary schools in Eritrea, whose population is just over six million people ...

Briefly but with a hint

Noting that "relations between the countries are developing and strengthening," Putin announced plans to sign cooperation agreements between the governments of Russia and Eritrea. "Of course, we must first of all pay attention to the development of trade and economic ties, here we have good prospects in many areas," Putin said at a meeting with the President of Eritrea. He referred to the forthcoming signing of a number of intergovernmental agreements.

"I hope that colleagues have worked, and we will be able to do it," the Russian leader said. Putin especially thanked Afworki for Eritrea's cooperation with Russia at the UN, where Asmara, among just a few states, consistently and openly votes against anti-Russian resolutions on Ukraine , although many countries sympathetic to Russia, fearing Western revenge, prefer to abstain or not vote .

Awesome speech!

It is very interesting what the President of Eritrea, perhaps the most stable and certainly the proudest African country, said in the Kremlin. His words, as we shall see, show that he is not an opportunistic, but a principled, ideological and spiritual ally of Russia, who perfectly understands what is happening in the world and places great hopes on Moscow.

Here is what Afeworki said to Putin, according to the Kremlin website:

"I believe that the global world order is on the verge of a radical transformation, and this requires objective assessments and mutual consultations on this issue, which is of the utmost importance and importance ... The thoughtless ideology and unrestrained domination actions that have been taken over the past 30 years to create a unipolar world order have led to numerous crises and to great destruction, and this is the most serious barrier to the progress of mankind."

The President of Eritrea stated that the West uses economic, military, industrial, technological, informational, cultural measures, including the mechanisms of the UN and international regional organizations, as "instruments of dominance" and restraining the development of its opponents. That "in practice and in essence," he stressed, "is no different from a declaration of war."

"Demonization, isolation, interference, political sabotage, provocation of crises , sanctions and flagrant violation of international law, including open military incursions. Free peoples and countries must not submit to such interference. The resistance of the free peoples is the main reason why the ideology and strategy of the forces of domination has not been able to win over the past 30 years,"

Afeworki noted.

ISAIAS AFEwORKI AND VLADIMIR PUTIN. PHOTO: KREMLIN.RU/MIKHAIL METZEL

The President of Eritrea concluded his speech as follows:

"There is a need to deepen understanding, a comprehensive strategy and specific plans in all areas must be developed, dynamic mechanisms must be established, and necessary resources must be advocated for the transition to a new civilized international order based on mutual respect, cooperation, complementarity and prosperity, in which justice and the rule of law are supreme values. And we not only have to, we have to do it.

I hope, I am convinced that the Russian Federation will play its part in this mission of all mankind on the path to solidarity and cooperation among free peoples. And in this vein, I want to wish you every success on this path. Thank you!"

So far - a drop in the ocean, but this is only the beginning

What exactly both presidents and their colleagues agreed on is not reported, but, according to the Kremlin press service, they were supposed to discuss the prospects for the development of Russian-Eritrean relations in various fields, topical issues on the regional and international agenda. The space here is enormous. According to 2022 data, the trade turnover between Russia and Eritrea amounted to only 13.5 million dollars, while exports from Russia to Eritrea accounted for 12.7 million. This is just a drop in the bucket.

In January of this year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Eritrea as part of a tour of African countries. He had talks in Asmara with the Eritrean president. They discussed economic issues, primarily mining, information and communication technologies, agriculture, infrastructure projects, the possibilities of the sea and air port of Massawa, as well as Moscow's proposals for the development of industry in Eritrea. 

And in March, Lavrov met in Sochi with his Eritrean counterpart, Osman Saleh, who confirmed that his country is committed to developing trade and investment cooperation with Russia. Eritrea's participation in the second Russia-Africa summit, scheduled for July in St. Petersburg, was also discussed. Moscow has done much to lift international sanctions against Asmara, which existed from 2009 to 2018, and contributed to the reconciliation of Eritrea with Ethiopia, which fought in 1998-2000.

In Asmara, this is appreciated and expected, as Petros Tseggai, the Eritrean ambassador to Moscow, a former student from Odessa, said in an interview with RIA Novosti that Russia will develop cooperation with his country in the political, economic, humanitarian and cultural spheres. According to the ambassador, Eritrea will continue military-technical cooperation with Russia ("We have all the weapons - Soviet and Russian, so it's obvious") without regard to the West. Great hopes are pinned, in particular, on assistance in the exploration of minerals, especially oil. All this is quite real.

In addition, Eritrea has a huge tourism potential: its beaches are beautiful. This is where, when creating a proper tourist infrastructure, compatriots who love to swim and fry in the sun can relax in the new world of sanctions.

Summing up

From all of the above, the following picture emerges. Eritrea is close to us in spirit, striving for independence and even in culture (thanks to Pushkin!), scrupulous in the matter of national pride, a small and unspoiled country. One might even say unanimous. We are ideally suited, complementing each other, and will never become a burden for each other, although we could draw serious dividends from our friendship.

Russia's resources and economic opportunities, which are still difficult for us to compete with the United States or, say, China in relations with larger, including friendly states, are more than enough for this country. Heavyweight players may not be impressed by the scale, but for Russia it will be enough, and helping Asmara will not be a heavy burden for us.

On the other hand, the potential benefits for Moscow of further development of relations with Eritrea are enormous. For this country is able to provide Russia with what it lacks so much: a safe "refuge" in this region of Africa, which will loudly declare itself in the 21st century. With the exception of the miserable Djibouti, which is full of foreign military bases, all other states in the region are experiencing civil wars: Ethiopia is shaking , Sudan is on fire , you can’t even talk about Somalia.

Eritrea is the most stable, predictable country in its development, which more than anything else does not want to become someone else's colony again and sees through the West. She considers her enemies even such mild colonialists as the Italians, who once owned it and did something for its development.

Russia needs at least one base in the Red Sea region , primarily for two reasons. Firstly , to serve Russian warships, which are frequent guests in the waters of this strategically important region, where we have no bases . Although Americans, British, French, Italians and even Chinese have them. Without such bases, the life of sailors turns into a nightmare and the capabilities of ships are drastically reduced. Having an air base would also be nice.

Secondly , it is necessary in terms of building new supply chains and avoiding Western sanctions by establishing "gray" imports and exports. At the moment, Russia has something similar only in Syria - the naval base in Tartus in the Eastern Mediterranean.

So what?

It is quite obvious that the agreement between Moscow and Khartoum on the creation of a naval base on the Sudanese coast of the Red Sea in the conditions of civil strife in Sudan is unrealizable, which Tsargrad, by the way, warned about . All the money spent on this will be thrown to the wind or settled in someone's pockets. So while Eritrean officials usually say they are opposed to having foreign military bases in the country, there is no better choice for Russia in this regard. We are definitely not going to be in charge in Eritrea, and this is impossible.

The base of the Navy can be made joint, called the Fleet Logistics Support Point (PMTO), and some common projects important for Eritrea can be implemented there. After all, it is more than obvious that those beautiful words that the Eritrean president said in the Kremlin about the predation of the West and a more just new world order directly provide for this kind of cooperation. Good will not overcome evil with just the right words.