Russia, Equatorial Guinea Strike Nuclear, Defense Cooperation Deal

(MENAFN) Russia and Equatorial Guinea have formalized a nuclear energy cooperation agreement, state nuclear corporation Rosatom announced, as the two countries deepened ties spanning atomic technology, security, and military collaboration.

The memorandum was signed in Moscow on Tuesday during a bilateral meeting between Rosatom Deputy Director General Nikolay Spassky and an Equatorial Guinean delegation headed by Foreign Minister Simeon Oyono Esono Angue.

Under the terms of the agreement, the two sides will establish joint working groups to advance projects in both nuclear energy and the non-energy applications of nuclear technologies, Rosatom said. The pact additionally covers cooperation in training specialized personnel.

The deal marks the latest milestone in Rosatom's accelerating push across the African continent. The state corporation is already overseeing construction of Egypt's El Dabaa nuclear power plant — the first large-scale nuclear energy project on the continent.

The nuclear agreement followed high-level diplomatic talks held in Moscow on Monday between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Equatorial Guinean counterpart. The discussions ranged across bilateral relations, with security and defense cooperation featuring prominently on the agenda.

Lavrov signaled Moscow's readiness to deepen military-technical engagement with the Central African nation, offering to respond directly to its defense requirements.

"We are always ready to continue military-technical cooperation. We have a strong tradition of this [in this area]," the Russian foreign minister said.

Angue, for his part, underscored Equatorial Guinea's appreciation of Russia's role in building the country's military capacity, framing the partnership within a broader continental security challenge.

"Terrorism is gaining momentum, [and] African countries, need to strengthen our capabilities, the ability of our forces to resist any threats, including those from terrorism," the minister said. He further emphasized Equatorial Guinea's particular gratitude for Russia's direct involvement in training national specialists and bolstering its security sector.

Diplomatic relations between Moscow and Malabo were established on December 6, 1968, weeks after Equatorial Guinea achieved independence from Spain — a partnership now entering a markedly more strategic chapter.

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