Sissoco Embaló is in Russia as a guest to attend the Victory Day celebrations, which are being held today. Embaló's statements, at a press conference with Putin, were made available by the Guinean presidency. "Russia can count on Guinea-Bissau as a permanent ally, that will never change," said the Guinean President. Umaro Sissoco Embaló thanked Putin for "all the support" that Guinea-Bissau received from the former Soviet Union during the armed struggle for independence, and stressed that this contribution is most visible in the Armed Forces. "In Guinea-Bissau, more than 70% of our military cadres were trained in the former USSR, so you can see the connection between us and Russia," said Embaló. As an example, the Guinean President pointed to two members of his delegation, his political advisor, Fernando Delfim da Silva, and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Biague Na Ntan. Both, Embaló stressed, completed their higher education at Russian academies. The Guinean President urged Vladimir Putin to visit Guinea-Bissau as soon as he makes a trip to Africa, and also called for the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, to visit Bissau. "We have already received everyone, but in Guinea-Bissau we have only received your ambassador. We are now waiting to receive someone at the level of the Foreign Minister, Sergei (Lavrov) and other Russian officials," said Embaló. The Guinean President noted that he had left the discussion of his country's needs and the partnerships that could be developed between Guinea-Bissau and Russia for the closed-door meeting with Putin. Read Also: Guinean President reaffirms commitment to sustainable exploitation of resources (Portuguese version)