The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Russia have agreed to establish a permanent intergovernmental commission to coordinate economic, commercial, technological and technical cooperation, giving their bilateral relations a formal mechanism for developing joint initiatives.
The agreement was signed on October 28 in Moscow by DRC Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner during President Félix Tshisekedi’s visit to Russia for the third Russia–Africa Summit. The move followed talks between Tshisekedi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on strengthening relations between the two countries.
The commission is expected to provide a framework for identifying cooperation opportunities, developing joint initiatives and coordinating work across relevant sectors. According to Kayikwamba Wagner, the agreement was accompanied by sectoral arrangements covering justice, health, employment and youth training.
The two governments also intend to explore further cooperation in agriculture, energy, technology and infrastructure. These areas reflect the DRC’s interest in expanding technical partnerships and attracting expertise that could support its economic development.
The agreement comes amid efforts by Kinshasa and Moscow to increase trade and institutional cooperation. During their meeting, Putin described the DRC as a promising partner in Africa and said bilateral trade relations were strengthening. He also expressed confidence that the new commission would help raise cooperation to a higher level.
For the DRC, the mechanism creates an additional channel for engaging Russian institutions and businesses across several areas of the economy. Its establishment does not, however, amount to approval of specific investment projects or financing packages. Those will require further negotiations and agreements between the relevant institutions.
The commission’s practical role will therefore depend on how the two sides translate the agreed framework into concrete initiatives. Its creation marks a new step in formalizing DRC–Russia relations and provides a platform for pursuing cooperation in areas identified by both governments.
