RUSSIAN BUSINESS PRESENCE - BURKINA FASO RESPONSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L OUAGADOUGOU 000706 E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/31/2034 TAGS: PINR UV RS ECON EINV SUBJECT: RUSSIAN BUSINESS PRESENCE - BURKINA FASO RESPONSE (C-CI9-01825) REF: (A) STATE 088241 Classified by CDA Samuel C. Laeuchli for reason 1.4 (c) and (d) ¶1. (C) The Embassy sees little evidence of Russian economic interest in Burkina Faso. To the best of our knowledge, there is no large-scale Russian business presence, no significant Russian investment, and very few Russian citizens currently residing in Burkina Faso. Responses to Washington's query to establish a baseline follow. ¶2. (U) Begin responses: ¶A. (C) IS THERE A RUSSIAN TRADE REPRESENTATION IN YOUR COUNTRY? --Response: No. Officials in neither the local Chamber of Commerce nor the National Office of External Trade are aware of any presence of Russian trade officials. According to contacts within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Burkina Faso and Russia signed several agreements in the late 1960s. One of these concerned trade and economic and technical cooperation, but werQever implemented.Q AnotheQgreement included a Cultural and Scientific Agreement, but Russia has long since closed its cultural center and stopped all activities related to the agreement. Under a transportation agreement, Aeroflot flew to Burkina Faso, but also stopped servicing Ouagadougou several years ago. ¶B. (U) WHAT MAJOR RUSSIAN COMPANIES OPERATE IN YOUR COUNTRY AND IN WHAT BUSINESS SECTORS? --Response: None ¶C. (U) HOW MUCH REVENUE ARE RUSSIAN COMPANIES BRINGING IN? --Response: N/A ¶D. (U) HOW MUCH RUSSIAN INVESTMENT IS OCCURING; IN WHAT SECTORS; IS IT GROWING? --Response: None of any significance known to the Embassy or contacts. ¶E. (U) IS YOUR COUNTRY ACTIVELY SEEKING RUSSIAN INVESTMENT AND/OR RUSSIAN TOURISM? --Response: No ¶F. (C) ROUGHLY HOW MANY RUSSIAN CITIZENS RESIDE IN YOUR COUNTRY? --Response: Very few. A contact at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had no official estimate of Russian presence in Burkina Faso. Many Russians currently residing in Burkina Faso are the spouses of Burkinabe students who completed their studies in Russia. Since the closure of the Russian Cultural Center in Ouagadougou, and the Embassy of Burkina Faso in Moscow, the number of officials has also dropped. The Russian Embassy responsible for Burkina Faso is located in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. LAEUCHLI