Russia’s renewed engagement with Africa is built on a high level of trust and mutual respect, said Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, who assured participants that Africa is Russia’s important partner in the global struggle for truth and fairness.
According to the minister, both partners have increased high-level political and parliamentary dialogue to forge friendly and mutually beneficial ties. “We are moving towards broadening our relationship especially in our cooperation on security and peace-making,” he said while denouncing unilateral imposition of sanctions by the United States.
Lavrov pointed out that Russia’s relations with African countries are valuable in their own right and should not be subject to the shenanigans in the international arena. By relying on the accumulated experience of productive cooperation, Russian diplomats, he said, are pursuing a consistent policy of deepening Russia-Africa relations.
Lavrov also disclosed that Russia has over the years increased investments in Africa, reaching $20 billion in 2018. These include investments in mining, energy and railway construction. He specifically mentioned a nuclear power plant and an industrial park, both in Egypt.
The ongoing annual meeting of Afreximbank is positive momentum for the mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and Africa. To further deepen the partnership, Lavrov informed participants that the first Russia-Africa Summit is scheduled to take place in Sochi, Russia in October, this year. It will be co-chaired by President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation and President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of Egypt, who, incidentally, is current chairman of the African Union (AU).
In his remarks, Gabriel Aduda, Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation of Nigeria, recalled Russia’s support for the decolonization of Africa, especially in ending the apartheid policy in South Africa. He projected that Russia’s renewed engagement with Africa will deepen the friendship between the two partners as well as boost bilateral trade.
Aduba commended Afreximbank for its innovative products and services such as the Counter-cyclical Trade Liquidity Facility which helped many countries weather the storm of the global financial crisis and the commodity super-cycle. Afreximbank, he says, has forged international partnerships to create a win-win situation which will lead to structural transformation in Africa.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry.