The African country has struck several deals with Moscow to boost bilateral relations

Russia and Guinea-Bissau have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in the fields of general education, science, and innovation, as well as vocational training, Moscow announced on Wednesday.

The signing was done by Russia's deputy education minister, Andrey Korneev, and Bissau-Guinean Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos Henrique De Jesus Pinto Pereira, the Russian Ministry of Education said in a press release.

Under the agreement, Moscow and Bissau will "maintain direct contacts between schools, institutions of secondary vocational education, and universities of the two countries," according to the ministry. It also includes provisions for Guinea-Bissau to teach the Russian language to its residents.

The event, part of the visit this week by the West African state's president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, to Moscow, comes at a time when the Russian agency for international cooperation, Rossotrudnichestvo, said students from Africa are showing increasing interest in studying in Russia. In December, State Duma Deputy Speaker Aleksandr Babakov reported that Russian lawmakers had submitted funding proposals to the government to support international students from the continent.

During a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, Embalo hailed Russia as "a reliable partner" and thanked the Kremlin for increasing the quota for his country's military personnel, police officers, and students.

READ MORE: Russia is a 'reliable partner' - Guinea-Bissau leader

Putin also emphasized the need for stronger economic ties between Moscow and Africa, noting that trade between Russia and countries on the continent grew by 10% in 2024.

Last month, Putin and Embalo held a phone conversation to discuss trade, investment, and humanitarian cooperation.

Prior to the talks between the two leaders, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development announced on Wednesday that officials of the two countries had reached an initial deal on trade and investment cooperation.

Commenting on the growing ties between the two countries, Andrey Maslov, head of the Center for African Studies at Moscow's Higher School of Economics, told RT that Guinea-Bissau and Russia are longstanding partners.

"Guinea-Bissau is a traditional partner for Russia and the Soviet Union, which played an important role in supporting the liberation struggle of the Guinean people against the Salazar regime and the Portuguese colonizers."