26.12.2019 Author: Dmitry Bokarev
Column: Politics
Region: Africa
The Russia-Africa Summit and
Economic Forum, held in Sochi (in the Russian Federation) from 23 to 24 October
2019, became an important milestone on the path of the development of the
Russia-Africa relationship. All the leaders of African nations (that are
recognized by the United Nations) as well as representatives of Africa’s
international organizations received invitations to this event. It was
co-chaired by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah el‑Sisi. Agreements on cooperation in foreign policy,
security and various economic spheres were reached at the summit.
Russia is determined to
return to Africa in full measure and re-establish ties with the region that had
existed since the Soviet Union era. However, too much time has passed since
those days, and the Russian Federation has a long journey ahead of it if it
wishes to restore its cooperation with Africa to Soviet levels and become one
of the continent’s main partners. The memory of friendly ties that existed
between the USSR and Africa, and of the help extended by the Soviet Union to
all African nations (who wished to become independent) in their battle against
colonialism and nation building efforts is still alive today and will enable
the Russian Federation to find a common language with its African partners.
However, all the practical aspects of cooperation will need to be worked on
from scratch.
Typically, the establishment
of ties between nations begins with trade.
