In recent days, Joseph Beti Assomo, Cameroon’s defence minister, made a discreet but remarkable visit to Moscow to sign a new military cooperation agreement between the two countries.
This symbolic trip comes at a time when the Kremlin has relaunched its offensive in Ukraine.
On 12 April, Cameroon and Russia signed a new military cooperation agreement. Joseph Beti Assomo, the presidency’s minister delegate in charge of defence, had left Yaounde the day before for Moscow, where he met with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoogou.
The newly signed military agreement according to a document will boost the fight against piracy.
It will also ensure terrorism training, rescue mission in the sea, peace keeping processes, exchange of security information on defense and security on the international domain.
The signing of the agreement comes months after Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
Cameroon has been mute on the said invasion. During a UN meeting organised on the issue, Cameroon was amongst countries which failed to vote in favour of Russia’s withdrawal from Ukraine.
Cameroon has shared bilateral relations with Russia since 2015.
Russia and Cameroon signed a defence cooperation agreement aimed at boosting Cameroon’s military as it combats Boko Haram militants.
This agreement was signed on April 15 by Deputy Director of Technical and Military Service at the Russian Presidency, General Anatoly Punchuk, and Cameroon’s defence minister Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo’o.
The signing was witnessed by the Russian Ambassador to Cameroon, H E Nikolay Ratsiborinsky and the Defence Chief of Staff of the Cameroonian Army, Lieutenant General Reneacute Claude Meka, as reported the Cameroon Tribune- April 2015.
