Русский
The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has attended the Foreign Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum which has just finished in Sochi.
Giving the plenary speech yesterday (Sunday, November 10) Lavrov introduced a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ as part of a package of agreements with numerous African countries attending the event. He stated that Russia is actively looking to engage with Africa, and is looking for mutual solutions in solving issues related to developing economic and commercial ties in Africa.
The conference builds on the 2023 Russia-Africa summit, where Russian President Vladimir Putin courted leaders from Africa and offered to expand political and business ties.
Moscow has also been pushing for a permanent seat to represent the African continent at the United Nations.
The broad strategy is to provide security for African nations, with food security becoming problematic in addition to some countries undergoing conflicts, with Russia providing military assistance. The objective is to assist with security, then develop trade.
These overtures are having an impact, as multilateral trade between Russia and Africa is growing fast. African countries have significantly boosted imports from Russia, in signs that the shift to trade development with the global south is having a profound effect on supply chains, trade flows and creating new opportunities. Africa now outperforms Russia’s trade with the United States and Canada combined.
In 2023, exports of Russian petroleum products to Africa almost doubled, while wheat exports also grew significantly.
Further Reading
