(VOVWORLD) - Russian ships will soon be allowed to enter the ports of Sao Tome and Principe in Africa for rest and refueling, as part of a military cooperation agreement between Moscow and the island state, the Russian Federation’s Armed Forces said on Monday.
 The Admiral Gorshkov class frigate of the Russian Navy. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) |
The agreement will be submitted to the State Duma (lower house) of the Russian Federal Assembly. If passed, the bill will open Russian ships to new ports in Africa, and “greatly facilitate the activities” of the Russian fleet in the Atlantic, said first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Alexei Chepa.
“Today, a large number of ports where Russian ships could enter for bunkering are closed,” Chepa added. He stressed that access to friendly ports will help Russian fleet in the region improve its logistics capabilities.