Most African nations will attend Russia’s second Africa-Russia summit in St Petersburg

Moscow hopes that most of Africa’s 54 countries will “ignore threats and blackmail from the West” and attend the long-delayed second Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg in June, Russian ambassador at large Oleg Ozerov said on March 14. told an international forum, Tass reports.

“We certainly expect the participation of most African states in the summit,” said Ozerov, who heads the secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, speaking at the forum (“Russia-Africa: as a path Organized under the theme “Collaboration for Sustainable Development”).

“We are convinced that the majority of state leaders will ignore open threats and outright blackmail from Western states, which virtually demand that African states stop cooperating with Russia.”

“We are sure that no one will be intimidated, as there is a huge request for cooperation from both sides. , From the Russian side and from the African side,” Ozerov said. “We have mutual interests that we can now unite.”

Senegal’s ambassador to Moscow, Jean-Baptiste Thiêty Tine, is among those who have already confirmed their presence. He announced to the media on 14 March that his country’s presence at the summit would be important.

The second summit and economic forum is scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg from July 26 to 29.

The second summit was previously set for October-November 2022 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as Moscow steps up its drive to get closer to African nations and away from the West, as the latter imposes heavy sanctions after the war broke out. were planted. Ukraine.

The Russia-Africa summit has been an important forum for promoting Russian interests on the continent and was attended by leaders of 48 of Africa’s 54 countries. First summit held in Russian resort city of Sochi in October 2019, It was co-chaired by Russian and Egyptian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Abdul Fattah el-Sisi. Egypt is a major Russian partner in North Africa, having imported 80% of its grain from Russia and Ukraine before the war.

Ozerov said that the participants of the second Russia-Africa summit plan to adopt a political declaration and a joint action plan.

“We have already discussed a political declaration; We also intend to discuss its content with all African countries. This will be our joint document that reflects our common interests,” he said at a meeting of Russian Federation of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, as quoted by Tass.

“And we are sure that we will be able to agree on this. The second document will be our Joint Action Plan. We have already prepared and coordinated a Joint Action Plan with the African Union; it is ready for signing.

Ozerov said that the summit will address the issue of development of relations between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and regional African organizations.

“We have ensured our sovereignty and we are ready to help others precisely to move towards a new model of international relations for equal cooperation in a multipolar world. I think our interests are in line with the interests of African countries. match, and we will continue to work together to achieve concrete results,” said the ambassador.

The theme of the first summit was “For Peace, Security and Development”. A second summit was planned in 2020, but was canceled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The upcoming summit aims to strengthen trade and economic ties between Russia and African countries, as well as discuss other issues of mutual interest.

In December the US held its first Africa event since the Obama administration; Of the 54 heads of state in Africa, 49 were present. A similar number of heads of state are expected to attend the Russian summit.

Western and Russian diplomats have been traveling the world recently in an attempt to drum up support And Africa has been a major area of ​​interest as countries on the continent remain divided between supporting Russia or the West.

Senegal has moved closer to Moscow in the past year and has become a major importer of Russian refined products. President Macky Sall meets with Putin in Sochi As the current head of the African Union in June 2022. The leaders talked about the impending food crisis due to the war in Ukraine and how to ensure grain imports for members of the African Union.