(MENAFN) Russia and Togo have reached an agreement to resume operations of their embassies in both nations in 2026, President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday.

During a meeting at the Kremlin with Faure Gnassingbe, First President of the Council of Ministers of Togo, Putin highlighted that while the two countries celebrated 65 years of diplomatic relations in 2025, they have lacked permanent diplomatic missions for many years.

Putin emphasized that, even in the absence of official representation, commercial and economic interactions have continued, albeit at a modest scale.

He expressed optimism that reopening the embassies, together with the establishment of an intergovernmental commission, would expand collaboration and open up “new areas of partnership.”

Gnassingbe welcomed the initiative, referring to it as the beginning of a “new epoch” in the bilateral relationship.

Togo’s embassy in Moscow had been inactive since 1999, while Russia’s mission in Lome has been closed since 1992.

In June, the Russian government issued an order to reopen the Lome embassy, assigning the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to finalize staffing arrangements and approve the organizational framework. Initially, this process was expected to conclude by the end of 2025.

The announcement coincides with Russia’s broader efforts to grow its diplomatic presence throughout Africa.

In 2024, Moscow reopened embassies in Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea and plans to establish missions soon in South Sudan, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Liberia, the Gambia, and the Comoros are also slated to receive permanent Russian diplomatic missions in the near future.

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