Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has met Congo-Brazzaville's President Denis Sassou Nguesso to discuss the strengthening of military ties between the two countries, according to Russia's state-run media.
"We will continue intensive military and military-technical cooperation. President Sassou Nguesso has confirmed this. It is in the interest of the defensive ability of the Republic of the Congo," Lavrov is quoted as saying by Tass news agency.
Military cooperation between the two countries has previously seen Russia train Congolese military on how to use, service and repair Russian-made military equipment.
Lavrov is on an Africa tour that saw him visit Guinea on Monday. It wasn't clear which other countries were on his itinerary later this week.
Libya crisis
On Tuesday he took aim at the West and its supposed "objectives" in Ukraine and Libya during his visit to the Congo
He also told reporters he supports talks to reconcile warring parties in Libya.
"We support the initiative of (Republic of Congo) President Denis Sassou Nguesso which aims to organise an inter-Libyan conference," he said, following a meeting with Sassou who also chairs a high-level committee on Libya in the African Union.
Libya is divided between a UN-recognised government based in Tripoli led by Abdelhamid Dbeibah and a rival administration in the country's east backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar, with whom Moscow maintains close relations.
Reestablish stability
"What is happening in Libya is a tragedy, whose authors are NATO and its members," Lavrov said, adding that "the same thing happened in Iraq and in Afghanistan where the West wanted to impose its version of democracy".
"The most important thing today is to find an approach which assures the reestablishment of the country," he added of Libya.
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