The first Russian warship, the Pacific Fleet frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov, arrived at the Eritrean port of Massawa, in the southern part of the Red Sea, the Sputnik agency reports. The guards missile cruiser Varyag entered the Red Sea together with the frigate.

Russian Ambassador to Eritrea Igor Mozgo clarified that the ship will stay in the country until April 5 this year. It is expected that joint exercises will be held between sailors of the two states and experience will be exchanged.

This visit will be the first in 30 years of diplomatic relations between Russia and Eritrea. Intensification of contacts between the countries began last year.

In January 2023, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Eritrea for the first time, and in May, the country's President Isaias Afwerke arrived in Moscow to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.