📰 Article by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin «Russia and Africa: Joining Efforts for Peace, Progress and a Successful Future» (July 24, 2023)

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Key points:

• The partnership relations between our country and Africa have strong, deep roots being distinguished by stability, trust and goodwill at all times.

• We have consistently supported African peoples in their struggle for liberation from colonial oppression. We have provided assistance in the formation of statehood, strengthening of sovereignty and defence capabilities.

• We highly value the honestly gained capital of friendship and cooperation, traditions of trust and mutual support that Russia and African countries share.

🌍 Russia welcomes the rising international authority of individual states as well as Africa as a whole. Their desire to make their voices strongly heard and to take the continent's problems into their own hands. We have always supported the constructive initiatives of our partners. We stand for granting African countries their rightful place in the structures that determine the fate of the world, including the UN Security Council and the G20, as well as reforming the global financial and trade institutions in a way that meets their interests.

• Africa feels the burden of global challenges like no other part of the world. In such a challenging environment, we look forward to working with our African partners to shape a non-discriminatory agenda for cooperation.

• We understand the importance of uninterrupted food supplies for the socio-economic development and political stability of the African States. <...> Notwithstanding the sanctions, Russia will continue its energetic efforts to provide supplies of grain, food products, fertilizers, and other goods to Africa.

🤝 We attach great importance to the upcoming Second #RussiaAfrica Summit. <...> I am looking forward to welcoming the African leaders in St. Petersburg and stand committed to a fruitful constructive dialogue.

#RussiaAfrica

🇷🇺🇿🇼 President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Summit.

📍 Saint Petersburg, July 27, 2023

💬 Vladimir Putin: Zimbabwe is Russia’s reliable ally on the African continent. We have established solid, reliable and friendly ties which date back to the time when the people of Zimbabwe fought for their independence.

There is positive momentum in our political dialogue, including in our inter-parliamentary ties.

After a slight decrease in 2022, trade increased severalfold in January-April, not only making up for lost ground but even achieving a higher result. We have good prospects for working together in multiple sectors, as we will be sure to discuss today.

The practice of educating Zimbabwean specialists in Russia has also proven its worth with 1,200 students from Zimbabwe studying at Russian universities. We increased the number of government grants for the 2023–2024 academic year from 80 to 125.

🤝 Russia and Zimbabwe have common or close views on most current issues on the international agenda. Your country traditionally supports Russia’s foreign political initiatives at the UN and votes for our candidates when it is necessary to fill a position. We very much appreciate this.

#RussiaAfrica

🇷🇺🌍 President Vladimir Putin had a working breakfast with the heads of Africa’s regional organisations.

📍 Saint Petersburg, July 27, 2023

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💬 Vladimir Putin: It is for this reason that we decided that it would be important to discuss the prospects of cooperation between the Eurasian Union and Africa’s integration bodies. This primarily refers to the African Union which has been following a similar path with the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

I would like to note that of all the regional organisations, the African Union is Russia’s main partner. We support it in its multifaceted efforts to ensure peace and stability and promote political and economic integration.

Today we will approve a major joint Russia–African Union action plan until 2026. This comprehensive document was drafted pursuant to the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Russian Federation and the African Union Commission on the basic principles of their relations and cooperation. It focuses on intensifying contacts on peace and security and resolving crises.

We believe that the creation of a new permanent dialogue mechanism for consultations on such urgent issues as countering terrorism and extremism and ensuring food, information and environmental security could be a meaningful addition to Russia–African Union instruments of interaction.

🌍 Russia supports the African Union's participation in the G20 as a full member. We talked about this today. We expect that the G20 will reach a decision on this matter, including with our support, at the summit in New Delhi in September. Objectively, this decision would reflect the constantly growing role of the African continent and its leading regional structures in international affairs.

Naturally, we are ready to develop effective interaction with other African regional organisations that are represented at our meeting.

#RussiaAfrica 🇷🇺🤝🌍

#Friendship #Equality #Future

🇷🇺🤝🌍 The Second #RussiaAfrica Summit has concluded!

🇩🇿 🇦🇴 🇧🇯 🇧🇫 🇧🇮 🇬🇲 🇬🇭 🇬🇳 🇬🇼 🇩🇯 🇨🇩 🇪🇬 🇿🇼 🇨🇲 🇰🇪 🇰🇲 🇨🇮 🇱🇾 🇲🇷 🇲🇱 🇲🇦 🇲🇿 🇳🇦 🇳🇬 🇨🇬 🇷🇼 🇸🇨 🇸🇳 🇸🇴 🇸🇩 🇸🇱 🇹🇿 🇹🇬 🇹🇳 🇺🇬 🇨🇫 🇹🇩 🇬🇶 🇪🇷 🇸🇿 🇪🇹 🇿🇦 🇸🇸

To all our African friends and colleagues: till we meet again!

#PhotoOfTheDay

📸 Heads of the African nations delegations and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov took part in the #FamilyPhoto ceremony ahead of the Plenary Session of the First Ministerial Conference of the #RussiaAfrica Partnership Forum.
 
📍 Sochi, November 10