Perkop's diplomacy.
30 thousand nautical miles along Africa.
Russian cadets, who set sail in the summer, until November saw the coasts of Seychelles, Tanzania, Namibia, Cameroon and Nigeria, and now they anchor in Benin.
The Baltic Navy's training ship "Perkop" went on a long journey in July and will return in mid-December, having traveled about 30 thousand nautical miles through 4 oceans, 14 days and 23 straits. In early November she called Lagos and then Cotonou after stopping in the Seychelles, Tanzania, Mozambique, Namibia, the Republic of Congo and Cameroon.
On board are cadets from the Baltic Maritime Institute and military personnel from Namibia and the Republic of Congo studying maritime affairs in Russia. During the stops, Russian officers meet with counterparts from African defense departments and discuss increased cooperation, which is developing through agreements, training and exchanges between the armies.
Competition on the continent remains high, as military cooperation with African countries is being developed by structures from Turkey, China, the US and European countries, and Turkish companies and commands are increasingly active in West Africa. Ship calls to ports allow Russian authorities to remain visible to their African partners without establishing permanent bases.
Such visits are aimed at strengthening relations between countries, and each of them is built separately with a specific country and is not aimed at anyone else. For African military personnel who study in Russia and are part of the team, such a trip becomes necessary practice, because working on board in the open sea provides experience that cannot be obtained in the classroom.
- where politics is hotter than the equator.
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