Russia's Lavrov On Surprise Visit To Eritrea

Nairobi, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jan, 2023 ) :Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Eritrea Thursday for a one-day surprise visit, the information ministry announced, part of an African tour.

Lavrov, on his second trip to Africa in six months, met President Isaias Afwerki, the ministry said.

Minister of Information Yemane G. Meskel said on Twitter: "The discussions centered on the dynamics of the war in Ukraine & enhancement of bilateral ties on sectors of energy, mining, information technology, education & health." Eritrea, one of the most closed off countries in the world, was one of only five countries to vote against a UN resolution in March 2022 condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Lavrov's tour to Africa, which has become a renewed diplomatic battleground since the Ukraine war began, has also taken him to Angola, Eswatini and South Africa.

Isaias has ruled Eritrea with an iron fist since independence from Ethiopia in 1993.

Its army has been accused of numerous atrocities against the civilian population during the brutal two-year war in Ethiopia's northernmost region of Tigray.

Eritrean troops however started to pull out from towns in Tigray at the end of last week, the US and Ethiopian governments say.