MOSCOW. Oct 24 (Interfax) - Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin and Somali Defense Minister Hassan Ali Mohamed met on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit on Thursday to discuss the situation in the Horn of Africa and military cooperation prospects.
"Fomin informed the Somali military chief of potential areas of the Russian-Somali defense cooperation, taking into account existing restrictions. The Somali leader reaffirmed interest in developing bilateral interaction," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement obtained by Interfax.
"[Mohamed] shared estimations of the latest military-political developments in Somali and neighboring Horn of Africa countries," the statement said.
"This is the first bilateral Russian-Somali defense meeting held at such a level in the past few years," it said.