Russia’s Murmansk Seaport is successfully recalibrating its energy trade from Northern Europe to China, doubling its Iron Ore exports to China’s massive steel industry in H1 2026.
Tanzanian Airlines have begun a regular Zanzibar-Moscow service designed to promote tourism and trade. The country is renowned for its spectacular beaches, safari’s and wildlife and is another exotic Russian tourism alternative to European destinations.
The Russia-Pakistan Working Group on Counter-Terrorism has been meeting in Islamabad. We discuss the Pakistani overview and potential for further bilateral cooperation.
The Eurasian Economic Union has been discussing trade with China and the prospects for defined tariffs. At present the two parties have a non-preferential trade agreement, but this could change to a more significant trade deal.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has announced it is to open four new Embassies in Comoros, Gambia, Liberia and Togo in a mix of what will become tourism, trade and energy related diplomatic moves. Russia is aiming for 100% diplomatic coverage throughout the African continent by next year.
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Rosatom have agreed a roadmap with the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board for plans to build a Small Modular Reactor in Rwanda. The country wishes to diversify its energy mix as demand increases.
Russia’s VTB bank is once again looking at developing operations in Iran as the conflict situation begins to calm down. Bilateral trade exceeded US$5 billion last year and has grown in 2026 despite problems. VTB will be looking to finance part of that trade.
The Iraq Ambassador to Russia, Dr. Abdul-Karim Hashim Mostafa has said it would be a ‘good idea’ for Iraq to join the BRICS, depending on the terms. Such a move would almost certainly face US opposition.
Russia has resumed the import of gas from Turkmenistan for the first time since 2016. The move fundamentally alters Eurasian and Russian gas flows and bypasses the troublesome Black Sea region.
The new Lucknow facility at the India-Russia Brahmos missile joint venture has increased total production capacity by 20%, with orders expected from other Asian nations.
The Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko is on an Asian tour and has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and proposed “11 Key Technologies” in which Belarus wants to cooperate with China in trade and investment.
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