Benin–Russia relations are the relations between the two countries,

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

Soviet-era relations

The

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

recognised the

Republic of Dahomey The Republic of Dahomey (french: République du Dahomey; ), simply known as Dahomey, was established on 4 December 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Prior to attaining autonomy, it had been French Dahomey, part of t ...

as an independent and sovereign state on 18 August 1960, and

diplomatic relations Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...

between the two states were established on 4 June 1962. From 24 July 1962, diplomatic relations between the two countries were conducted via the Soviet Embassy in Togo, until 1 February 1966, when the first Soviet Ambassador to Benin, Alexander Nikitich Abramov, was appointed. Relations between the two countries were initially minimal, however, Soviet interactions with the country intensified after

Mathieu Kérékou Mathieu Kérékou (; 2 September 1933 – 14 October 2015) was a Beninese politician who served as President of Benin from 1972 to 1991 and again from 1996 to 2006. After seizing power in a military coup, he ruled the country for 19 years, for ...

came to power in a coup in October 1972, and who proclaimed in 1974 that Dahomey would follow a Marxist-Leninist course. This saw the Soviet Union becoming Kérékou's major political ally in the international stage. From 1974 to 1983, more than 60% of Benin's arms imports were from the Soviet Union. The Soviet Navy made periodic port calls to Cotonou, where between 1953 and 1980 a total of 462 ship days were spent in the capital. In November 1986, Kérékou went on a state visit to the Soviet Union, and met with Mikhail Gorbachev. During the visit a declaration of friendship and co-operation was signed.

Russian Federation relations

On 9 January 1992 Benin recognised the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

as the successor state to the Soviet Union, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, latter's dissolution. Russia has an List of diplomatic missions in Benin, embassy in Cotonou, and Benin has an Embassy of Benin in Moscow, embassy in Moscow.

References

External links

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Benin–Russia relations at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Benin–Russia relations, Africa–Russia relations Bilateral relations of Benin, Russia Bilateral relations of Russia {{Bilateralrelations-stub