Russia negotiates establishment of military base with Central African Republic

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Russian envoy to the Central African Republic (CAR) said Thursday that Moscow is negotiating the deployment of a military base in that country.

Negotiations are underway through the defense ministries, Aleksandr Bikantov told Russian state news agency TASS.

"There is no doubt that if the project to create a Russian military base on the territory of the CAR is implemented, the situation in the country will become safer," he said.

Bikantov noted that the CAR authorities have voiced their desire many times to increase the number of Russian military instructors but no agreement has yet been reached.

At the moment there are 1,890 Russian instructors in the country, including military specialists of various profiles, as well as instructors for units for the national police and gendarmerie, he said.

Commenting on reports that said CAR authorities hired the US private military company, Bancroft, the ambassador said the CAR government is "pursuing an open economic policy aimed at diversifying and developing mutually beneficial cooperation with various states."

"The security situation in the country tends to improve gradually. Mainly due to the ability of the government army of the CAR, with the advice of Russian instructors, to respond promptly to threats and successfully eliminate them," he said.

New challenges are connected to conflicts in neighboring states, which harm the situation in the border area, contribute to the activity of the remaining illegal armed groups in these zones and the influx of refugees, he said.

The improved situation in security allows CAR authorities to address issues of economic recovery, said Bikantov.