Russia and Nigeria Could Cooperate in Stabilizing Global Energy Supply, Says Nigerian Minister

As Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov held several meetings with representatives of the African nations at the 77th UN General Assembly, some African politicians attending the event, such as Nigerian leaders, expressed hope for deepening ties with Moscow. Nigeria organized two sideline events on Friday during the UN High Level Week in New York, addressing the county’s commitment to reaching the UN’s sustainable development goals and the country’s participation in the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network – a community focusing on measuring multidimensional poverty. The meetings were attended by several Nigerian top government officials. When asked by Sputnik about cooperation with Russia, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva expressed optimism: “We are co-operating as oil producers.” – said Sylva - “I believe that after the Ukrainian crisis – whatever it is, we should be able to co-operate in stabilizing the supply of energy to the world. “ In May this year, Sylva said that Russia was interested in financing an African gas mega-pipeline from Nigeria to Morocco – a 5,600-kilometer-long link, which could run along the West coast of Africa and would have the potential of delivering gas to Spain. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart during the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. - Sputnik International, 1920, 24.09.2022 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who spent five days in New York taking part in the UN General Assembly and holding talks with foreign counterparts, did not have an official meeting with Nigerian diplomats in his schedule. Nevertheless, he seemed to have paid a lot of attention to African affairs in general, speaking with Ethiopian, Eritrean and South African colleagues, as well as with officials from Guinea-Bissau. According to Lavrov, the talks were productive: “We held negotiations with many African colleagues, talking primarily about our bilateral ties.” – said the minister – “With each African nation we have a steady tendency of growing turnover, of growth in investment activity. And even though absolute numbers are generally lower than those that we have with European, let alone Chinese companies, the prospects are very good.” Russia’s top diplomat toured Africa this summer, paying visits to Ethiopia, Uganda, and the Republic of Congo, with Moscow paying more and more attention to cooperation with nations on the continent. It’s expected that bilateral and multilateral ties will be addressed at the 2nd Russia-Africa economic forum scheduled for the middle of 2023. Read more: https://sputniknews.com/20220925/russia-and-nigeria-could-cooperate-in-stabilizing-global-energy-supply-says-nigerian-minister-1101215859.html