Côte d'Ivoire–Soviet Union relations

Côte d'Ivoire-Soviet Union relations

Côte d'Ivoire	Soviet Union

Côte d'Ivoire–Soviet relations were the bilateral relations between Côte d'Ivoire and Soviet Union. Overall, the Ivorian-Soviet relations were sporadic and frosty as the Ivorian president Félix Houphouët-Boigny mistrusted the Soviet Union and had a negative view of the Soviet role in Africa.^[1]

1967–1969

The Soviet Union had declared its recognition of the independence of Côte d'Ivoire and offered the new state diplomatic relations in a telegram issued on August 6, 1960 (one day before independence of Côte d'Ivoire was declared).^[2] The Soviet Union had begun to import cocoa beans from Côte d'Ivoire in 1959, but this trade was discontinued in 1961.^[3]

However, in the early phase of Ivorian independence Soviet analysts classified the Ivorian government as 'reactionary'.^[4] By the mid 1960s, there was a shift in Soviet attitudes towards Côte d'Ivoire. The new Soviet ambition to seek development of contacts with Côte d'Ivoire could be seen as part of a wider strategy, directed towards enhancing contacts to regionally important moderate states in the Third World (another example in West Africa was Nigeria).^[5]

Another factor that hampered the development of Ivorian-Soviet links was the fact that Soviet Union had close links with Guinea, ruled by Houphouët-Boigny's adversary Ahmed Sékou Touré. Guinea was accused of fomenting opposition inside Côte d'Ivoire, and there were suspicions that the Soviet Union had given its support to these activities. The Soviet-Guinean cooperation was however broken off.^[6] A mutual agreement to establish diplomatic relations between Côte d'Ivoire and the Soviet Union was announced on January 23, 1967.^[2] In November the same year the first Soviet ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire, Sergey Petrov, was appointed.^[7]

On May 30, 1969, Côte d'Ivoire declared that it severed the relations with the Soviet Union, as allegations were directed that Petrov had given direct support to a 1968 protest at the National University of Côte d'Ivoire.^[1][2][8]

1986–1990

The two state did not restore ties until February 1986. The reassumption of bilateral relations could be attributed to two factors. On one hand Houphouët-Boigny had begun to embraced a more active foreign policy, including a more pragmatic attitude towards the Soviet Union. Furthermore, at the time Houphouët-Boigny was active in seeking increased international recognition.^[1] The Soviet Union sent Boris Minakov as its ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire. He served as ambassador until 1990.^[7]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Soviet Union and China
2. ^ ^{a b c} Ginsburgs, George, and Robert M. Slusser. A Calendar of Soviet Treaties, 1958–1973. Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands: Sijthoff & Noordhoff, 1981. p. 836
3. ^ Brzezinski, Zbigniew. Africa and the Communist World. Stanford, Calif: Published for the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace by Stanford University Press, 1963. p. 73
4. ^ Brzezinski, Zbigniew. Africa and the Communist World. Stanford, Calif: Published for the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace by Stanford University Press, 1963. p. 14
5. ^ Katz, Mark N. The USSR and Marxist Revolutions in the Third World. Woodrow Wilson Center series. [Washington, D.C.]: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 1990. p. 33
6. ^ Meyer, Frank S. The African Nettle: Dilemmas of an Emerging Continent. Freeport, N.Y.: Books for Libraries Press, 1970. p. 36
7. ^ ^{a b} http://whp057.narod.ru/rossi-m8.htm
8. ^ New York Times. Soviet Ties With Ivory Coast

See also

• Côte d'Ivoire – Russia relations
• Foreign relations of Côte d'Ivoire
• Foreign relations of Russia