Russia—Africa Summit shapes multipolar world

SIX years ago, on the same days — October 23-24, 2019 — an event took place in Sochi that can rightfully be called a new page in the history of relations between the Russian Federation and the African continent.

- RUSLAN GOLUBOVSKIY

The first Russia—Africa Summit and the accompanying Economic and Humanitarian Forum brought together representatives from all 54 African States, including 43 heads of State and Government. It was an unprecedentedly large-scale meeting, which became a symbol of the desire of Russia and African countries for closer cooperation on political, economic and humanitarian levels.

The Summit was conceived as a platform for building an equal and mutually beneficial dialogue, free from the legacy of colonialism and pressure from external power centers. Its main goal was to form a stable architecture of Russian-African cooperation — not episodic, but systemic.

The final declaration, adopted at the end of the summit, consolidated the creation of the Russia—Africa Partnership Forum, an institution designed to ensure a constant exchange of views and implement the decisions taken.

Dozens of agreements were signed on the sidelines of the forum in various fields, from energy and mining to agriculture and education. Russian companies presented proposals to African partners on joint infrastructure projects, the development of natural resources and the creation of new logistics routes.

Special attention was paid to cooperation in the field of peaceful atom - Rosatom has signed memoranda with a number of African countries on the development of nuclear technologies for energy and scientific purposes.

The humanitarian component of the summit has also become one of the central topics. Issues of education, medicine, scientific exchange and cultural interaction were discussed during the forum.

The President of Russia, Viadimir Putin, stressed that Moscow views Africa as an independent and influential center of global development. “There are a lot of potential partners with good prospects in Africa” he said. The head of state also noted that Russia “has always given and will continue to give priority attention to cooperation with African states.”