REPUBLIC OF COTE D'IVOIRE

General information: The Republic of Cote d'Ivoire is a former colony of France. On March 26, 1959, it was declared a republic within the framework of the French Community and became an independent state on August 7, 1960. Cote d'Ivoire has been a United Nations member since September 20, 1960.

Official language: French.

Area: 322,500 square kilometres.

Official capital: Yamoussoukro (population 320,000). The major economic and administrative centre is Abidjan (5 million).

Cote d'Ivoire borders five countries: Burkina Faso (584 km); Ghana (668 km); Guinea (610 km); Liberia (716 km); and Mali (532 km). Its coastline is 520 km.

The country’s natural resources include reserves of iron ore, gold, diamonds, oil, gas, nickel, bauxite, manganese, cobalt, copper, tantalum, and silica.

Climate: The south has a wet, equatorial climate, with alternating rainy seasons (from April to mid-July and from September to November) and dry periods (from mid-July to September and from December to March). In the north, the climate is tropical with two distinct seasons: wet (from May to October) and dry (from November to April). The maximum and minimum temperatures are: from January to March +35°C and +22°C, from April to June +32°C and +24°C,  from July to August +29°C and +21°C, and from September to December +32°C and +24°С respectively. Between January and February, the wind from the Sahara desert, known as harmattan, brings sand dust that reaches the Atlantic coast.

Population: As of late 2016, the population is estimated at 24.3 million people, of whom 36 per cent are stateless and from overseas. The population growth rate in 2016 was 2.4 per cent. The urban population is 51.3 per cent. There are more than 60 ethnic groups, the main ones being as follows, (in approximate percentages): Akans (40 per cent), Gur or Mande (28 per cent), Volta ethnicities (16 per cent), and Kru (16 per cent).

The largest diaspora group is the Burkina, accounting for more than 3 million people. Historically, there have been significant numbers of expatriates from Mali (about 800,000), Guinea (630,000), Nigeria (600,000), Ghana (500,000), Niger (400,000), and Senegal (120,000). The Lebanese diaspora, of about 85,000 people, has significant political and economic influence in the country. Quite a few hold Ivorian passports. There is a large French community of around 20,000 people, more than half of whom have dual French and Ivorian citizenship.

National holiday: Independence Day – August 7.

Currency: CFA franc (as of November 2017, $1 is approximately 570 CFA francs, the euro exchange rate is fixed at 656 CFA francs to 1 Euro).

Religion: According to official statistics, 40 per cent of the population are Muslims, 40 per cent are Christians, and 17 per cent are Animists. According to alternative estimates, which take into account immigrants, Muslims make up about 60 per cent of all residents, while adherents of local religions and Christians make up 25 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.

Administrative division: Cote d’Ivoire is divided into 31 regions, 108 departments, and 426 sub-prefectures. Abidjan and Yamoussoukro are autonomous districts.

Political system: Cote d'Ivoire is a presidential republic. The head of state is elected by universal direct vote for 5 years (there is a two-term tenure limitndrcent respectivelyans pulation ). Regular presidential elections were held on October 25, 2015. Alassane Ouattara was reelected in the first round for a second term by a majority of 83.7 per cent.

On October 30, 2016, a new Constitution was approved at a national referendum, laying the foundation for the Third Republic.

Legislative authority: A bicameral parliament is composed of the Senate (which has not been formed yet) and the National Assembly, elected every 5 years. Parliamentary elections were held on December 18, 2016. The president of the National Assembly is Guillaume Kigbafori Soro. Under the new Constitution, Daniel Kablan Duncan has been appointed Vice-President for the transitional period until 2020 (the post was first established in 1960).

In January 2017, a new government was formed with Amadou Gon Coulibaly as Prime Minister and Minister of Budget and Public Sector, and Marcel Amon Tanoh as Foreign Minister.

Political parties: Cote d'Ivoire has a multi-party political system with over 100 parties officially registered. The most influential parties are the Rally of the Republicans (RDR), and the Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire (DPCI), which make up the ruling alliance Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP).

The National Assembly also includes the Union for Democracy and Peace in Côte d'Ivoire (UDPCI) and the Union for the Ivory Coast (UIC). Both parties were formerly part of the RHDP.

The opposition Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) continues to enjoy significant popular support despite being split into two wings. At the initiative of Pascal Affi N'Guessan, the leader of the officially recognized wing of the FPI, an agreement was signed to create the Alliance of Democratic Forces of Cote d'Ivoire, an opposition alliance that includes 11 political parties ideologically close to the FPI.

At the most recent elections to the National Assembly, the officially recognised wing of the FPI won only 3 seats, which is about 1.2 per cent of the total number of seats in the parliament.

Trade Unions: The largest and most influential union is the General Workers Union of Cote d'Ivoire. There are also some independent trade unions representing teachers, students, transport workers, doctors, and IT workers.

Media: There are more than 170 print media outlets in Abidjan, including 28 daily newspapers with a circulation of 5,000 to 30,000. The Fraternite Matin is the official newspaper. There is also the Ivorian Press Agency (AIP).

There are two state-owned TV channels, RTI 1 and RTI 2, and two private channels, UBIZ News and Business 24, both of which were launched in 2016, following the decision to allow private TV broadcasting. Satellite television is widely available, broadcasting the world's leading TV channels.

Radio is available all over the country, with three publicly owned national stations: Radio Côte d'Ivoire, Frequence 2, and Peace Radio, formerly Onuci-FM, which belonged to the UN peacekeeping mission in Cote d’Ivoire. Peace Radio has been government-run since February 2017 and broadcasts from Yamoussoukro. In total, there are 148 radio stations, of which 123 are local.

Electronic media and news websites are becomingincreasingly widespread. The most popular is Abidjan.net (http: //www.аbidjan.net). In 2017, Cote d’Ivoire was ranked 81 out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index, published by the Reporters Without Borders international NGO. In 2016, the country was ranked at 86.

Armed forces: The country’s armed forces personnel total 41,500, allocated as follows: land forces (17,000), the navy (1,500), the air force (800), special forces (700), paramilitary fire units (900), national gendarmerie (19,000), and the Republican Guard (1,600). The Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces is President Alassane Ouattara. Hamed Bakayoko is State Minister and Minister of Defense. Division general Sekou Toure is the Chief of the General Staff.

Domestic politics and socio-economics: Following the 2010 presidential elections, the country experienced a deep internal political crisis, the consequences of which continue to be felt. Problems of national reconciliation and the reintegration of former militants have yet to be resolved. The issue of releasing the jailed supporters of the former President Laurent Gbagbo remains contentious. There are obstacles to ensuring human rights and democratic freedoms.

The socio-economic situation remains uncertain. Cote d'Ivoire was ranked 171 out of 188 countries in the 2016 Human Development Index. Corruption is widespread. Average life expectancy is 53 years and the literacy rate is 43.1 per cent. About half of the population lives below the poverty line. Unofficial statistics estimate the unemployment rate at 18 per cent.

According to the World Bank, the country’s GDP increased by eight per cent in 2016, reaching $36.2 billion at current prices. The GDP growth rate is expected to decline in 2017.

Agriculture is the leading sector of the economy, with the main crops including cocoa beans, cashew nuts, coffee, bananas, corn, rice, cassava, sweet potato, sugar cane, cotton, hevea for rubber production, and timber. Cote d’Ivoire is the world’s largest producer of cashew nuts and cocoa (it provides about 40 per cent of the world cocoa bean production).

The chief industries are food, woodworking, textiles, oil refining, gold mining, electricity, fertilizers and building materials, as well as the assembly of lorries and buses.

The inflation rate in 2016 did not exceed one per cent, which was below the average rate in ECOWAS countries. Several factors had a negative impact on investment, in particular discontent among the military and public sector workers, leading to a national strike of public sector workers in January 2017, as well as mass protests by the private and sergeant personnel of the Ivorian armed forces in January, February, and May of 2017.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2016 was $430 million.  Cote d'Ivoire maintains normal relations with foreign creditors. In June 2017, the government issued 1.75 billion worth of eurobonds ($2.05 billion).

In 2014, the African Development Bank reopened its headquarters in Abidjan and in April 2017, the Secretariat of the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) moved from London to Abidjan.

In 2016, per capita GDP was $1,424 (23rd in Africa). In 2017, state budget revenue will total about 6,501.4 billion CFA ($10.3 billion). The budget deficit is expected to be 4.5 per cent of GDP. Government spending is primarily invested in social and economic projects, as well in combating poverty and stimulating agricultural production.

The president and the government continue to pursue a policy of modernisation in all spheres and have committed to a strategy aimed at transforming the country into a middle-income economy by 2020. Cote d'Ivoire holds leading positions (40 per cent) in the economies and finances of the countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union.

Foreign economic relations: The foreign economic policy pursued by President Alassane Ouattara is aimed at strengthening the country's position in regional African economic organisations, diversifying foreign economic relations, and attracting FDI. According to the state investment promotion centre, in 2016 the main foreign direct investors in the Ivorian economy were France (12 per cent), Nigeria (10 per cent), and the UK (9 per cent), followed by Lebanon, Mauritius, and Morocco.

The main Ivorian exports are: cocoa beans, coffee, cashew, timber, oil, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, and fish. Leading exporters to Cote d’Ivoire are: France, the Netherlands, the USA, Nigeria, and South Africa. The major importers are Nigeria, France, China, India, and the United States.

Foreign policy: The foreign policy priorities of the Ivorian leadership are to diversify the country’s relations with international partners and to anchor it as an influential regional player in Africa.

In June 2017, Cote d’Ivoire became a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2018-2019.

Russian-Ivorian relations: The former USSR recognised the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire on August 7, 1960, the day it proclaimed its independence. Diplomatic relations were established in 1967. They were broken off by the Ivorian side in 1969. In 1986, diplomatic relations between the two countries were restored, on the Ivorian leadership’s initiative.

In January 2017, Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Marcel Amon Tanoh exchanged congratulatory messages in connection with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Russia and Cote d’Ivoire maintain stable and friendly relations. Cote d’Ivoire is interested in expanding cooperation with Russia in various fields. The parties have agreed upon the text of the Memorandum on Consultations between the Foreign Ministries of Russia and Cote d'Ivoire.

In October 2017, bilateral consultations were held in Moscow between Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin, Adviser to the Ivorian Foreign Minister Ilahiri Alcide Djedje and Roland Adjo Lessing, presidential adviser on cooperation with the UN, as part of consolations between the two countries’ foreign ministries.

On October 14-18, 2017, President of the National Assembly of Cote d’Ivoire Guillaume Soro took part in the 137th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in St Petersburg.

On October 14-22, 2017 Minister for the Promotion of Youth, Youth Employment and Civic Service Sidi Tiemoko Toure attended the 19th World Festival of Youth and Students in Sochi.

Cote d’Ivoire is one of Russia's major trading partners in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2016, the trade between the two countries amounted to $303.3 million, according to Russian customs statistics (Russian exports – $67.9 million, imports – $235.4 million).

Russia mainly imports cocoa and cocoa-based products and exports mostly chemicals, agricultural products and food, as well as timber, pulp and paper items.

Russian businesses are keen to establish direct contact with their Ivorian counterparts. During a visit to Abidjan in February 2017, General Director of Argana Trade House Group Igor Solovyov held talks with the leadership of the Ivorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and representatives of the Ivorian business community to discuss the import of shea butter, cashew nuts, and dried fruit to Russia.

In January 2017, the Russian Peoples' Friendship University sent the Felix Houphouët-Boigny University a new draft agreement on cooperation in science and education.

Russia continues to train Ivorian students in its universities. In 2017, the Russian government provided funding for 56 scholarships (55 Ivorian students came to study in Russia), and over 270 students have received private funding.

The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire is Vladimir Baykov (he presented his diplomatic credentials on May 30, 2016).

Roger Gnango is the new Ambassador of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire to Russia. He received his agrement in September 2017.