Madagascar–Russia relations

Madagascar–Russia relations

Madagascar	Russia

Madagascar–Russia relationsare thebilateralforeign relationsbetweenMadagascarandRussia.The establishment of diplomatic relations between Madagascar and theSoviet Unionstarted on September 29, 1972. Russia has an embassy inAntananarivo.Madagascar has anembassy in Moscow.

History

Embassy of Madagascar in Moscow

During the2009 Malagasy political crisis,Russia'sForeign MinisterSergey Lavrovstated that Russia is "concerned by the increased frequency of attempts on the African continent to resort to non-constitutional methods of solving internal political problems." He went on to say that, in addition to increasing economic and social problems, the use of force is of concern and runs counter to democratic principles, whilst affirming Russia's support of the African Union's position.

According toThe New York Times,the2018 Madagascar electionssaw Russian operatives commonly being seen walking the streets of Madagascar's capital with "backpacks full of cash" as well as "packets of gold and precious stones" which the Russians used to bribe journalists, candidates, students, and others to influence the election outcome. One key objective of the Russian interference campaign was to protectYevgeny Prigozhin's "growing military and commercial footprint" in Africa.

Trade relations

In 2021, Russia exported $41.2M to Madagascar(mostly wheat with 95%) while Madagascar exported $9.79M to Russia. This figure is led by graphite (12.8%) and preserved foods (15.8%)

See also

• Foreign relations of Madagascar
• Foreign relations of Russia

External links

• Documents on the Madagascar–Russia relationship from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs(in Russian)
• Embassy of Madagascar in Moscow(in Russian)
• Embassy of Russia in Antananarivo(in French and Russian)