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TASS opens photo exhibition dedicated to Russia-Africa Summit

The photos illustrate some of the key events of the summit’s business, cultural and sporting events

A TASS photo exhibition dedicated to the second Russia-Africa Summit and Economic and Humanitarian Forum opened in front of the agency’s Moscow headquarters today. Pictures taken by the agency‘s photo correspondents illustrate the key events of this international meeting, which took place in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on July 27-28.

The exhibition includes photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s addresses to the summit’s plenary session and a reception in honor of participating delegations, along with other glimpses of the event. TASS photos also highlight the interest that African guests took in the displays and products presented by Russian companies, as well as in related cultural and sporting events. In particular, these include an art project titled “How I imagine Nigeria,” which was held on Bolshaya Morskaya Street, and a gala football match between a Russian team and an African team at Petrovsky Stadium.

The exhibition also includes photos taken at a media forum that TASS hosted on the sidelines of the summit, which brought together the heads of news agencies and media corporations from African countries. Viewers will also be able to see photos of a panel session dubbed “Overcoming Stereotypes. The Role of the Media in Creating a Positive Image,” as well as from the stand that TASS established at the Russia-Africa Summit. Memorandums of cooperation between TASS and a number of news outlets from African countries were signed at the TASS stand.

TASS was the information partner and photo-hosting agency of the second Russia-Africa Summit and Economic and Humanitarian Forum. The summit’s photobank released about 3,000 photos, reflecting the entire range of its events.

Photo: Natalia Garnelis/TASS

“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