Ivory Coast–Soviet Union relations
Bilateral relations
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Ivory Coast–Soviet Union relations were the bilateral relations between Ivory Coast 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]
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 Ivory Coast |
 Soviet Union |
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1967–1969
The Soviet Union had declared its recognition of the independence of Ivory Coast and offered the new state diplomatic relations in a telegram issued on August 6, 1960 (one day before independence of Ivory Coast was declared).[2] The Soviet Union had begun to import cocoa beans from Ivory Coast 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 Ivory Coast. The new Soviet ambition to seek development of contacts with Ivory Coast 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 that the Soviet Union had close links with Guinea, ruled by Houphouët-Boigny's adversary Ahmed Sékou Touré. Guinea was accused of fomenting opposition inside Ivory Coast, 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 Ivory Coast and the Soviet Union was announced on January 23, 1967.[2] In November the same year the first Soviet ambassador to Ivory Coast, Sergey Petrov, was appointed.[7]
On May 30, 1969, Ivory Coast 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 Ivory Coast.[1][2][8]
1986–1990
The two states 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 embrace 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 Ivory Coast. He served as ambassador until 1990.[7]