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On the second meeting of the Coordinating Council under the Secretariat of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum

The second meeting of the Coordinating Council under the Secretariat of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum took place on 2 February via video conference.

Participants included Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov; Ambassador-at-Large and Head of the Secretariat of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum Oleg Ozerov;  Head of the CC, CEO and Chairman of the Roscongress Foundation Alexander Stuglev; Executive Director of the Association of Economic Cooperation with African Countries (AECAS) Alla Belyaeva; Director of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Irina Abramova, as well as representatives of Russian ministries and agencies, leading companies and business associations. 

In his speech, Mr. Bogdanov pointed out the need for finalizing the event plan for the 2nd Russia–Africa Summit scheduled for 2022, as well as its concept and details. 

Mr. Stuglev, Mr. Ozerov, Ms. Belyaeva, and others spoke about the status of preparatory works and plans for the near future.  

In particular, Alexander Stuglev noted that 2021 would be pivotal for Russian-African cooperation. The Council is facing two major tasks – preparation for the 2nd Russia–Africa Summit and a series of Russia–Africa events that will pave the way for the successful high-level meeting. The second meeting made it clear that the objectives of Russia–Africa cooperation can only be reached through coordination between all Russian stakeholders.

Other speakers included Senator, Member of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy and Chairman of the Coordinating Committee on Economic Cooperation with Sub-Saharan Africa Igor Morozov; Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Natalya Bocharova; Director of the Department for Bipartite Cooperation Development (Ministry of Economic Development) Alexander Dianov; Deputy Head of Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo) Pavel Shevtsov. 

This discussion addressed a wide range of issues concerning the concept of the 2nd Summit, preparing and adopting the final documents and their further approval by the African partners. Among other topics of the meeting were improving mechanisms for existing and planned projects with African partners that would use domestic and international experience, as well as developing road maps for cooperation in 2021–2022. 

Participants agreed to approve the draft list of Russia–Africa events in view of the suggestions made at the first meeting of the Coordination Council. 

During the video conference, the Association of Economic Cooperation with African Countries, the Roscongress Foundation, and National Brand signed a cooperation agreement to promote goods, services, and intellectual property in Russia and abroad. 

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“We highly value the results of our joint work at the summit. I am sure the achieved results are creating a good foundation for further deepening the Russia-Africa partnership in the interests of our nations’ prosperity and wellbeing.”

President of the Russian Federation
Vladimir Putin

The Russia–Africa Summit, which is taking place in Sochi on 23–24 October 2019, encapsulates the historically friendly relations between the African continent and the Russian Federation. This Summit carries great significance as it is the first of its kind to emerge during a period of major global and international transformations. In response to the aspirations of the people it is representing, the Summit intends to build a comprehensive framework for expanding Russian–African relations into broader horizons of joint cooperation across different fields.

The African nations and Russia share a common understanding of international relations, based on the principles of respect for the rule of international law, equality, non-interference in the internal affairs of states, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. Both sides affirm their commitment to support multilateral actions to oppose new international threats, be they terrorism and extremism in all their forms, or declining growth rates. The two sides share a firm conviction regarding the importance of developing trade flows and supporting mutual investment in such a way as to ensure security, peace and development for the African and Russian people.

African countries have huge potential and opportunities that will allow them, once efforts to streamline their economies have been achieved, to emerge as real global players. In recent years, the nations of this continent have achieved major successes spanning the political, economic, social and administrative spheres. Africa has flourished in terms of growth over the past decade, reaching a continent-wide growth rate of 3.55% in 2018.

The African Union Summit, which was held in Niger in July 2019, continued the efforts of the African countries and saw the African Continental Free Trade Agreement come into force, along with its operational instruments. The agreement is one of the key objectives of Agenda 2063, an African development strategy that has been created to address the African people’s desire for prosperity and decent living standards.

These successes are opening up wide-ranging prospects for cooperation between African countries and the Russian Federation, and confirm the determination of African governments and their people to cooperate with multiple partners in order to establish mutually beneficial relations.

With this in mind, we express our hopes that the Russia–Africa Summit will help in the establishment of constructive strategic relations, based on partnership between two sides across various fields, and in the service of fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the African people and their friends in Russia.

President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Abdelfattah ALSISI